Review: The Negotiator (O'Malley Family Series, #1) by Dee Henderson

Title: The Negotiator (O'Malley Family Series, #1)
Author: Dee Henderson
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Publication Date: November 1, 2005
Edition:Paperback (304 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Christian Fiction
• Romance
• Romantic Suspense

Literary Awards:

• RITA Award by Romance Writers of America Nominee for Inspirational Romance (2001)
• HOLT Medallion by Virginia Romance Writers Nominee for Best Long Inspirational (2001)

Series: O'Malley #1

The Negotiator by Dee Henderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Kate O'Malley is a hostage negotiator. She' is called in to negotiate a hostage situation and meets Dave Richman, an FBI agent. Dave is instantly captivated by her, and together they become involved in trying to solve a series of events that threaten Kate's life. Dave finds out just how challenging it can be to fall in love with a hostage negotiator and protect her from harm.

The O'Malley family is one of my favorites. Each member has a book unto him or herself in the Series. They are all fascinating people who come alive in Dee Henderson's written words. This is a reread for me, and I'm sure I'll visit this book often.

Review: Danger in the Shadows (O'Malley #0.5) by Dee Henderson

Title: Danger in the Shadows (O'Malley #0.5)
Author: Dee Henderson
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Publication Date: November 1, 2005
Edition:Paperback (320 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Christian Fiction
• Romance
• Romantic Suspense

Literary Awards:

• RITA Award by Romance Writers of America for Best Inspirational Romance (2000)
• HOLT Medallion by Virginia Romance Writers Nominee for Long Inspirational (2000)
• Booksellers' Best Award
• OKRWA National Readers Choice Award for Inspirational (1999)

Series: O'Malley 0.5

Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Sara and her twin sister were kidnapped and held for nine days when they were six years old. One abductor has remained at large for twenty-five years, and Sara has spent that time in the witness protection program because one kidnapper is still after her, wanting to kill her. Enter, Adam Black. He is a public figure, retired football player. Just the kind of person Sara should not fall in love with if she wants to stay hidden. This is Sara and Adam's story.

To say more would give too much away. Trust me. This book is a great read, and a great beginning to a fantastic Series.

Review: Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson

Title: Full Disclosure
Author: Dee Henderson
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
Edition:Paperback (473 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Christian Fiction
• Romance
• Romantic Suspense

Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ann Silver and Paul Falcon meet when Ann brings him information on a case that he has been working on for the FBI. Her information breaks the case wide open. Paul is intrigued by her and decides he wants to get to know her better. At first, Ann isn't sure what to think. Being in law enforcement, herself, she doesn't feel comfortable dating a cop--and she's not thinking marriage. Each leads a very complex life, but each has a relationship with God and wants more in life than simply their work.

This book is so deep with layer after layer of character and personality, not to mention suspense and drama. It is a reread for me. I think I enjoyed it even more this time than the first. Dee Henderson is an author who puts her all into her writing and characters. It's a true joy to read her books.

Lynn's List (May 26, 2017)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Saving St. Germ by Carol Muske-Dukes
• Necessary Changes by Mary K Mccomas
• Familiar Words by Mary Kay Mccomas
• Someday, Somewhere by Mary K Mccomas
• Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan
• Runaway by Ed Mcbain
• Privileged Conversation by Ed Mcbain
• Even the Wicked by Ed Mcbain
• A Matter of Conviction by Ed Mcbain
• Full Frontal Murder by Barbara Paul
• Casualties of War by Daniel Lang
• Someone to Love by Norma Fox Mazer
• Taming the Stallion by Dorothy Callahan
• Calvin Coolidge in the Black Hills by Seth Tupper
• City on a Hilltop: American Jews and the Israeli Settler Movement by Sara Yael Hirschhorn
• The Heirs: A Novel by Susan Rieger
• Shadow Man: A Novel by Alan Drew
• Never Call Me a Hero: A Legendary American Dive-Bomber Pilot Remembers the Battle of Midway by Timothy Orr, N. Jack "Dusty" Kleiss and Laura Orr
• Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances by Leland Melvin
• A Speck in the Sea: A Story of Survival and Rescue by John Aldridge and Anthony Sosinski

Lynn's List (May 19, 2017)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Rebel Mother: My Childhood Chasing the Revolution by Peter Andreas
• The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
• The Midwife's Tale (At Home in Trinity book #1) by Delia Parr
• A Man of His Word by Kathleen Fuller
• A Hand to Hold by Kathleen Fuller
• An Honest Love by Kathleen Fuller
• Letters to Katie by Kathleen Fuller
• Faithful to Laura by Kathleen Fuller
• Treasuring Emma by Kathleen Fuller
• Threads of Grace by Kelly Long
• His Love Endures Forever by Beth Wiseman
• The Broken Road: A Novel by Richard Paul Evans
• Promise Me Forever by Debbie Macomber
• Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson
• Secret Anniversaries by Scott Spencer
• Preservation Hall by Scott Spencer
• The Lake House: A Novel by Kate Morton
• Edith Kermit Roosevelt by Sylvia Morris
• Can't Look Away by Donna Cooner
• Loss of Eden by Joyce Milton
• One Perfect Summer by Paige Toon
• Life Just Got Real: A Live Original Novel by Sadie Robertson and Cindy Coloma
• Portrait of Hemingway by Lillian Ross
• Come Back to Me by Mila Gray
• Death Valley by Kathleen Duey and Karen A. Bale
• The Triumph & Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson by Joseph A. Califano Jr.
• Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story: A Blind Broadcaster's Story of Overcoming Life's Greatest Obstacles by Ed Lucas and Christopher Lucas
• This Was a Man: The Final Volume of The Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer
• Ma, Now I'm Goin Up in the World: A Memoir of Dublin in the 1960s by Martha Long
• Secrets in Summer: A Novel by Nancy Thayer
• The Simplicity of Cider: A Novel by Amy E. Reichert
• The Flight: Charles Lindbergh's Daring and Immortal 1927 Transatlantic Crossing by Dan Hampton
• Patriot Acts: What Americans Must Do to Save the Republic by Catherine Crier
• True Spirit by Jessica Watson
• Unchristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why it Matters by Gabe Lyons and David Kinnaman
• Woman Lawyer by Barbara Babcock
• Foreign Correspondent by H.D.S. Greenway
• Henna House by Nomi Eve

Review: Say Nothing: A Novel by Brad Parks

Title: Say Nothing: A Novel
Author: Brad Parks
Publisher: Dutton Books
Publication Date: March 7, 2017
Edition: Hardcover (448 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Crime Fiction
• Mystery
• Suspense
• Thriller

Say Nothing by Brad Parks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Alison and Scott Sampson are happily married with six-year-old twins, Sam and Emma. One afternoon, someone picks up the twins from their school, and Scott and Alison are plunged into a nightmare of unimaginable proportions. The kidnappers want Scott, as a Federal Judge, to rule a certain way in a couple of cases, but he and Alison are to say nothing to anyone, and if they do not follow instructions exactly, their children will be killed.

This book is fast-paced, exciting, and heartbreaking, all at once. I found myself wondering if I would break the law if necessary, and under what circumstances would I willingly do so? Reason doesn't always apply when the situation is one of life and death. The characters were well developed, with flaws and all. I will definitely read more by this author.

Lynn's List (May 12, 2017)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Books 1-6 by Tom Clancy
• Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Books 7-12 by Tom Clancy
• Maintaining Segregation: Children and Racial Instruction in the South, 1920-1955 by Leeann G. Reynolds
• Young Men and Fire: Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition by Timothy Egan and Norman Maclean
• So Like Sleep by Jeremiah Healy
• Say Nothing: A Novel by Brad Parks
• If They Come in the Morning... by Angela Y. Davis
• Black and Blue: Inside the Divide between the Police and Black America by Jeff Pegues
• Jackie's Girl: My Life with the Kennedy Family by Kathy Mckeon
• The Fate of the West: The Battle to Save the World's Most Successful Political Idea by The Economist, Bill Emmott
• The Road to Camelot: Inside JFK's Five-Year Campaign by Thomas Oliphant and Curtis Wilkie
• The Jersey Brothers: A Missing Naval Officer in the Pacific and His Family's Quest to Bring Him Home by Sally Mott Freeman
• The Girl on the Bridge: A McCabe and Savage Thriller by James Hayman
• Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama by David Garrow
• Fatal Mistake: A Novel by Susan Sleeman
• The Song and the Silence: A Story about Family, Race, and What Was Revealed in a Small Town in the Mississippi Delta While Searching for Booker Wright by Yvette Johnson
• Hidden Secrets by P. L. Harris
• The Skies Belong to Us by Brendan I. Koerner
• The Guns of August: The Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman
• The Girl in the Maze by R. K. Jackson
• How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS by David France
• The Villa by Nora Roberts
• Death Without Tenure by Joanne Dobson
• Without Conscience by Robert D. Hare
• Dead in the Water by Annelise Ryan

Review: Her Secret (The Amish of Hart County #1) by Shelley Shepard Gray

Title: Her Secret (The Amish of Hart County #1)
Author: Shelley Shepard Gray
Publisher: Avon Inspire
Publication Date: March 14, 2017
Edition: ebook (272 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Amish Fiction
• Christian Fiction
• Romance
• Suspense

Series: The Amish of Hart County #1

Her Secret by Shelley Shepard Gray

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Hannah Hilty, her parents and brother and sister leave everything behind and moved to a different state to escape a stalker who will not leave Hannah alone. Starting over in a new Amish community proves difficult for them all. Hannah is constantly afraid and distrustful, and her brother and sister resent having to leave their friends and begin again.

Even after they move, little things have Hannah wondering if she is losing her mind, or if her stalker has followed her. The entire family is keeping secrets from one another. When Hannah meets her new neighbor, Isaac Troyer, they do not get off on the right foot. There are many questions for Hannah. Can she trust again? Is something still going on with her stalker? Will she ever be able to live a life without fear?

I enjoyed this book so much because it was not a simplistic story of "happily ever after" and "love conquers all". It has depth of feeling, emotion and a realistic plot line. All of which satisfied me as a reader. One of the reasons I generally do not read much in the Christian romance genre is that I most often find it lacking in depth of storyline and realism. Not so with this one. I'm looking forward to reading other books in the Series as they become available.

Review:Vienna Prelude (Zion Covenant #1) by Bodie Thoene and Brock Thoene

Title: Vienna Prelude (Zion Covenant #1)
Authors: Bodie Thoene and Brock Thoene
First Published: May 1, 1989
Edition: Kindle (500 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Christian Fiction
• Historical Fiction
• World War II Fiction

Series: Zion Covenant (1)

Vienna Prelude by Bodie Thoene

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Lisa Lindheim is a concert violinist who finds herself caught up in Hitler's war beginning in 1936. At first, she believes Austria is safe from his clutches, but she quickly learns otherwise, and has to choose whether or not to act in order to save Jewish children. She first meets John Murphy, an American reporter, and she is immediately drawn to him, even if it is partly against her will.

This book is a reread for me. I can't say enough good things about this book and the entire Series. Reading these books, you get a sense of the times and all that is happening in Europe and the world during this period in history. The Thoene's bring it to life in an unforgettable way. It's as if you are there, experiencing what the characters are living. I am rereading my way through the entire Series. These books are among my favorites, and I read them over and over.

Lynn's List (May 5, 2017)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Burn Out: The Endgame for Fossil Fuels by Dieter Helm
• Song of Deborah by Bette M. Ross
• The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Clayborne Carson
• The Final Cut (A Brit in the FBI #1) by Catherine Coulter and J. T. Ellison
• Solitude: In Pursuit of a Singular Life in a Crowded World by Michael Harris
• Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf
• Her Secret: The Amish of Hart County by Shelley Shepard Gray
• This Fight Is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America's Middle Class by Elizabeth Warren
• North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
• Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
• The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
• Come Whatever Storms by J. M. Snyder
• The Children's Train by Jana Zinser
• Family Inheritance by Terri Ann Leidich
• Tropic Squall by Ben Cherot
• Rude Awakenings by Keith M. Donaldson
• Nightmare in Niceville by Amberle Cianne
• The Mile Marker Murders by C. W. Saari
• Checkpoint by Jean-Christophe Rufin and Alison Anderson
• Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith
• Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger
• Sliver of Truth by Lisa Unger
• Die for You by Lisa Unger
• Angel Fire (Lydia Strong, #1) by Lisa Miscione, Lisa Unger
• The Darkness Gathers (Lydia Strong, #2) by Lisa Miscione, Lisa Unger
• Twice (Lydia Strong, #3) by Lisa Miscione, Lisa Unger
• Smoke (Lydia Strong, #4) by Lisa Miscione, Lisa Unger
• Other People's Houses by Lore Segal and Cynthia Ozick
• A Man of His Word by Kathleen Fuller
• An Honest Love by Kathleen Fuller
• Night of the Ice Storm by David Stout
• A Child Is Missing by David Stout
• Carolina Skeletons by David Stout
• Garden of Lies and Thorns of Truth by Eileen Goudge
• 72 Hours by Bella Jewel

Review: Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

Title: Missing Pieces
Author: Heather Gudenkauf
Publisher: Mira Books
Publication Date: February 1, 2016
Edition: ebook (400 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Crime Fiction
• Mystery
• Suspense
• Thriller

Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Sarah and Jack Quinlan have been happily married for twenty years and have two daughters attending college. A middle-of-the-night phone call finds them on a plane, the next morning, returning to Jack's hometown to offer support to Jack's family following his aunt Julia's accident. Once there, a series of events begin to unfold that cause Sarah to doubt most everything she thinks she knows about Jack. And, as she begins to put the pieces together and tries to sort out truth from lies, she finds herself in mortal danger.

This is the first book I have read by Heather Gudenkauf. It was well written, with interesting characters, and kept my interest. I will definitely read more by this author.

Review: The Underground Railroad: A Novel by Colson Whitehead

Title: The Underground Railroad: A Novel
Author: Colson Whitehead
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: August 2nd 2016
Edition: ebook (320 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• African American
• Cultural
• Historical
• Race

Literary Awards

• Kirkus Prize Nominee for Fiction (2016)
• Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction (2016)
• National Book Award for Fiction (2016)
• Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2017)
• The Rooster - The Morning News Tournament of Books (2017)

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Colson Whitehead's "The Underground Railroad" presents a picture of how slaves were treated in America. Though the account is fictional, it is based on historical research.

Cora Randall, a slave, is trying to escape her hard life on a Georgia plantation and become "free". She runs away and moves around on the underground railroad.

This book is an emotion-filled read . Each time I read about the treatment of human beings as property in the United States, I find it incredible that this process was, and to an extent, still is accepted--the Constitution not withstanding.