I got hooked on Dee Henderson's books way back when she was writing the O'Malley series. Since that series ended, I haven't been as invested in the story lines. While I end up finishing the books, they take a long time to "get into" and are very wordy. I listened to this one, and love the concept, but I'll also say that I could skip entire pages of dialog and not miss any of the plot. That is it for the complaints, though.

Book two in the Evie Blackwell series, has Evie joining the Illinois missing person's/cold case task force put together by the governor. Working with PI David Marsh, they work separate, unrelated cases, bouncing ideas off each other until some of those ideas actually pan out. When their cases suddenly overlap, bringing justice to those who have long been dead becomes the priority.

In their personal lives, each has a major decision to make. Evie has been dating someone seriously for several years, but can't seem to accept his proposal. Can she figure out what is stopping her from saying yes? David, on the other hand, knows why he isn't getting married. He's been engaged to the mega-star lead singer of a popular band. They've been sweethearts since childhood, and nearly married years ago. Now, he's the holdout, wanting to wait until she commits her life to Jesus before she commits her life to him. Neither couple resolves their conflict, but the love between them is always evident.

Fans of suspense who like a little romance thrown in, will enjoy Threads of Suspicion. Just know that Evie and David pull every possible thread to get to the bottom of their mysteries, and that can take a LOT of words.

This book started off much, much better than its predecessor. They jumped straight into the cold case, and following their clues and interviews was fun… for about eight chapters. I was glad that even when Ann Falcon showed up—again!—she didn’t come off as overbearing and controlling. Instead, she served as a listening ear and advice giver. This is more than I could have hoped for after despising the character for at least three books.

That being said, the detectives sat around talking a lot. They discussed the case a lot. They told facts instead of us getting to see them discover these facts in real time. They dumped backstories of witnesses and victims in their dialogue rather than their being worked into the storyline in smaller chunks so they’d be easier for the reader to digest.

The story was also overly preachy… even while the leads were drinking chardonnay. While they were drinking alcohol, they chatted about how God “cares about our decisions, how we’ve lived.” Does the alcohol not count as the way they’re living, as a decision God cares about? I really struggle with the whole social drinking thing that has been featured in a plethora of fictional books in the last decade or so. This pet peeve is a personal preference thing, and I realize many, many people will see it differently, that I will likely be in the minority here. But I see the saturation of society into alcoholic beverages, and it saddens me to no end.

“I know the drivers here and their bad habits.” Like letting his girlfriend get behind the wheel after she’d been drinking wine? Yeah, that doesn’t sound like a great idea to me. Especially since she’s a cop and chose to break the law by driving buzzed. Even one glass of wine can alter a driver’s thinking process, and a cop would know better, would be trained better. That pretty much lost me. Drunken driving is a huge problem in our society; just look up the stats for how many fatal car wrecks involve drunk drivers every year if you want proof. Promoting this type of law-breaking behavior in a police officer is atrocious. Cops are supposed to set the example, not be the exemption to the law.

I’m ending this book disappointed once again. While the leads were working a case, there was no action. No chases, no gunshots, no suspense. There was a lot of people sitting around talking… then going somewhere to sit around and talk some more under the guise of interviewing people. There were mentions of car wrecks and murders and missing people… but none of them happened in real time; they were all in the past. Reading this book really felt like watching an investigative journalist work without the suspense of whether or not they would get shot at or blown up in their own car because of secrets they were uncovering.

Right when I thought we were going to get some action, finally!, in chapter 23, it turned out to be a false alarm. See, we ended up sitting in a closet with a fretful girl, going through the plan for recovery from the “panic” she was currently going through. Having experienced many panic and anxiety attacks in my life, this felt completely unrealistic. When that full-blown panic sets in, there’s no stopping it for rational thoughts. The panic focuses solely on worst-case scenarios. It doesn’t permit a person in the throes of fright to think rationally and calmly about how they’ll handle press and police interviews in a different location once the threat is gone.

I could completely relate to this line: “He was impatient for more activity.” Yep. So was I, buddy, so was I. And I never got it.

Content: alcohol, alcohol-influenced driving by a cop (not shown to be bad), crude gesture

I'm so glad there are mystery/thriller books in the Christian genre. One can only read so many Amish/Christian romance books!

While I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it. I've read other books by Dee Henderson that I enjoyed more. It felt a little like too much was going on. A couple of times I couldn't figure out what story she was trying to tell. It did come together in the end, but parts were a tough go for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I used to only read christian romance and historical fiction books, but anymore my favorite "go to" genre is suspense. Its books like Threads of Suspicion by Dee Henderson that has made me love the mystery and suspense. I don't like anything too dark or gory. I always think it sounds funny to say "christian suspense" but this book is the perfect example of what I like.

From the moment you open the book you won't want to put it down. The characters are well developed and the story is fast paced with plenty of things to keep you guessing. I was not aware that this author intertwines characters from previous novels so this has intrigued me to pick up some of her prior books to see what the back story is of a few of the characters.

If you are looking for a great summer read this is a good book to start with!

BACK OF THE BOOK:

Evie Blackwell's reputation as a top investigator for the Illinois State Police has landed her an appointment to the governor's new Missing Persons Task Force. This elite investigative team is launched with plenty of public fanfare. The governor has made this initiative a high priority, so they will have to produce results--and quickly.

Evie and her new partner, David Marshal, are assigned to a pair of unrelated cases in suburban Chicago, and while both involve persons now missing for several years, the cases couldn't be more different. While Evie opens old wounds in a close-knit neighborhood to find a missing college student, David searches for a private investigator working for a high-powered client.

With a deep conviction that "justice for all" truly matters, Evie and David are unrelenting in their search for the truth. But Evie must also find answers to the questions that lie just beneath the surface in her personal life.

***Thanks to Bethany House Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Threads of suspicion by Dee Henderson is my new favorite mystery book series. I always loved Castle on ABC and this made me miss the show even more.  (See Below of the trailer of Threads of Suspicion, but don't leave yet... Read of the rest of my review. :-) )

This is a great story about Lieutenant Evie Blackwell and the new Chicago based cold case detectives.  Her partner is David and is the boyfriend of the famous Triple M Band singer Maggie May McDonald. The entire force is give a case or two to solve for the next several months. David is assigned the cold case of Saul Morris, a private investigator gone missing while conducting a case. Evie is assigned the case of Jenna Greenhill, a college girl that went missing after a concert.

Both mystery cold cases seem to intertwine each other in some areas, which allows Evie and David to help each other solve the crimes and why their individuals are missing or dead. As they continue to unveil their cases and dig deeper into them, they soon discover that Jenna's disappearance is linked to a Triple M Concert and 5 other missing woman cases. Not wanting to fear Maggie, they have to see the connections linked to the concerts and the other women. Along with this discovery, they also will find that Saul Morris went missing while looking at Jenna Greenhill's case. However, I will stop here about the cases so I do not spoil anything for you.

Here are a few questions to consider for the case: do you think Jenna and Saul are alive or not? If not, who do you think killed them? Will Maggie be in danger or the next victim?

However, the story is much more than just the case of Saul Morris and Jenna Greenhill. Evie and David both are struggling in their personal relationships. Evie is scared to say yes and make a marriage commitment to her boyfriend, Rob, and David is waiting patiently for Maggie to discover and put her faith in Jesus. David longs to marry Maggie, and will wait until she can understand his faith. Both Evie and David pray ernestly and wait patiently for the answers for their lives. Will Evie finally resolve her issues and say Yes to Rob? Will Maggie come to have faith in Jesus? You are just going to have to pick up a copy for your self.
When I first started reading the book, I was not so sure about it. I've read several mystery novels recently and they haven't been too catchy. However, I opened my mind and discovered how much I was really enjoying this book. It was a great book, and I did enjoy it every much.  It made me miss my favorite detective show CASTLE, though. One thing I will mention about the book that got to me was that it was a cliffhanger. I need more about Evie Blackwell and her partner David. UGH!!! There are so many unanswered questions. I need more, but for now I'll have to wait. :-)

Lastly, I want to mention, that I received this digital ebook for my honest opinion from the Baker Publishing. I really enjoyed the book once I got into the story.

Y'all know I love me some Dee Henderson. All of her most recent books are connected by the characters Ann and Paul Falcon (from Full Disclosure which I reviewed here). Threads of Suspicion is the 2nd book that follows Evie Blackwell, an Illinois State Police detective who has been appointed as part of a missing persons task force. Evie and her new partner David work together on a pair of seemingly unrelated cases in a Chicago suburb. Evie's case involves a missing college student. As they untangle the threads of these cases they find that things are more connected than they once thought. During all of this, Evie is also trying to work through some personal issues in her life.

Let's start out by saying that this, like the previous book, is not a suspense novel as many of Dee Henderson's earlier books were. I wouldn't even consider it a whodunit, but I don't want to ruin the ending by explaining that too much. I really enjoyed Evie's character. She's complex, especially in that she stays so upbeat in spite of the horrible things she sees in her job. She enjoys the puzzle of solving a crime, but is also compassionate for the victims. I also enjoyed David's character although his relationship with his fiance is a bit strange for me. I'm not sure I liked how Henderson handled the relationship between a believer (David) and a nonbeliever (his fiance Maggie). I'll have to see how it plays out later. I think Henderson is going to give Evie a different partner in each book to explore the other members of the task force, but hopefully we still get glimpses of past characters. I also wasn't really sure how I felt about Evie's relationship with her boyfriend Rob. He grew on me this book, but I spent most of the last book disliking him so it's hard for me to jump on the Team Rob bandwagon. Dee Henderson has always done well with character development and forcing her characters to go through some really challenging things. That is the main driving point of the book since most of the mystery is solved through solid police work and not crazy chases or epic showdowns. I really look forward to seeing how she develops this main character further in future books.

I really enjoyed this book, but like all of her recent books, it's not particularly fast-paced. It has taken me a while to adjust to this new method of story telling from Henderson, but I'm more prepared for it than I was when I read Full Disclosure. If you like Henderson's books you'll enjoy this one too.

Another great mystery from Dee Henderson!
Continuing in the solving of cold cases, Evie Blackwell and her new task force team are hard at work solving several different cold cases. This book highlights two in particular.
Picking up those old threads, eliminating unnecessary details & suspects, all of this gave me the feeling of being right there solving these with them.
I love the peek into the lives of detectives, being able to see how this process works.
I can't wait to read the next one!

I just love Dee Henderson's books. She is the queen of mystery and suspense. In the unique way only Dee can write the 2nd book in the "Evie Blackwell" Series comes book 2. "Threads of Suspicion" is a nail biting, on the edge of your seat and thinking hard to figure out who is the bad guy/girl.A wonderful read and I love how Dee amazingly weaves the gospel into the story as Evie, Rob, Maggie and David seek to find what they are looking for in the midst of turbulent times. Will they? A must, must read!!!

Blessings,
Karen Hadley
Rating: 5*
I received the book as a gift and my opinions are my own,

This was a fantastic mystery novel.  There were two cases to solve, and even with all of that, Dee Henderson managed to add a little romance into the mix.  As Evie struggled with whether or not to accept Rob's proposal, she realizes things about herself that she needed to face.  What a great example of trusting God to guide your life.

The second book in the Evie Blackwell Cold Cases series by Dee Henderson, titled 'Threads of Suspicion', is a fantastic cold case mystery!


As mentioned in previous reviews, I usually don't jump into a series without reading the books in order, but as I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher (Baker Publishing Group) in exchange for an honest review, I didn't have much choice.

This book was one of three books that I recently took with me on my summer vacation. I'm very glad indeed to have taken this gem with me. In my opinion, the perfect companion on the beach and while reading in bed during the excruciatingly hot hours of the day.


As a former member of law enforcement and a prior investigator myself, it isn't all that often that I come across crime books with such wonderful procedural elements in them. The main character, Evie, is an extremely well thought out and complicated individual. In fact, all the characters in this book (including David) were well thought out and the author spent a good amount of time on extensive character development and on the chemistry between characters.


The plot development was also very extensive. However, the procedural elements and many theories in play might seem to slow the book down a bit for some readers. Personally I found the plot to move at just the write pace that a cold case mystery would require!


Even though this book works as a standalone, I couldn't help but feel that reading the first book, 'Traces of Guilt' would have given me more background and character info on our main character, Evie. Since finishing this book, I have added 'Traces of Guilt' to my reading list on Goodreads.


Lately, I have been very reserved in giving a book five stars, unless all the elements were spot on. With this book, it was a quick choice to rate it the full five stars. I believe the great suspense, the character development, the variety of suspects, theories and the extensive procedural elements of this book deserve the five star rating! I highly recommend this book to crime lovers and to folks who enjoy a good law enforcement/procedure book.


At this time, I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and to review this book. It made my vacation that much better!


Happy Reading!!!

Threads of Suspicion by Dee Henderson is the second novel in her Evie Blackwell Cold Case series, but it can be read as a standalone novel, as far as plot line goes. However, to fully appreciate Evie as a character and to have a better understanding of her development, I would recommend reading Traces of Guilt first. Threads of Suspicion is a well crafted novel that dives into two separate cold cases related to mysterious disappearances...that might not be as separate as they first thought. I enjoyed seeing how Evie and David collaborated with one another, other members of their team, and other agencies to rebuild these cold cases and to begin to track down missing clues. I thought that the storyline flowed well, though there were times when the story dragged some, even if it did match how the characters were feeling about their cold cases. I also appreciated the character development into Evie and David as they learned more about one another and themselves as they were placed under increasing tension and stress related to both their jobs and their personal lives. Overall, I enjoyed the plot and characters of this novel, and I would highly recommend this book (and Dee Henderson's novels in general) to anyone who loves a good suspense/mystery novel that also does not shy away from full character and story development.


I received this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Evie Blackwell's reputation as a top investigator for the Illinois State Police has landed her an appointment to the governor's Missing Persons Task Force. With so much public fanfare surrounding the launch of this elite investigative team, the political stakes are high, and the team will have to produce results--and quickly.

Evie and her new partner, David Marshal, are assigned to a pair of unrelated cases in suburban Chicago, and while both involve persons now missing for several years, the cases couldn't be more different. As Evie opens old wounds in a close-knit neighborhood over the disappearance of a college student, David searches for a private investigator whose last case involved a high-powered client.

With a deep conviction that "justice for all" truly matters, Evie and David are unrelenting in their search for the truth. But the questions that lie just beneath the surface in Evie's personal life are also begging for answers.

Dee Henderson has hit another home run with this second book in the Evie Blackwell Cold Case Series. I have really enjoyed all of Henderson's books. Once again, this has a captivating story. I like the cold case idea because then the crimes do not feel as gruesome. I also like that we are getting to know the character of Evie very well. The variety of crime, character, faith and romance is very satisfying and interesting to read. And I like how other characters from previous novels pop up every now and then. It feels like a lovely, happy family. If you are a fan of Dee Henderson, or a great, engaging crime mystery, you will really enjoy this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers.

Liked this book better than the one before this. Excellent character development.

A wonderful book filled with faith, hope, and lots of supsense! Ms. Henderson is a wonderful author and truly hooked me with this book!

I love shows like Cold Case, Criminal Minds, and CSI on television and this book is a wonderful one to fill my desire as it combines elements of each of these shows as Evie attempts to solve some unsolved missing person cases. While she would love to find the missing person alive, it's been a long time and she knows that the best thing she can do for the families is to recover the body and give them resolution. Dee Henderson has truly given readers a sense of the hard work, determination, and compassion of investigators. Add a bit of romance to the mix and you have a great read. Romantic decisions must be made: one isn't sure she is ready to commit to love and marriage while one is eager to marry but his partner is not a Christian and he refuses to be unequally yoked.
The faith of the characters is woven naturally into the lives and conversations so that it is not contrived as is often the case in many works of Christian fiction. There were too many details and characters at times for me to follow the story, but this may be due to the fact that I did not read book one in the series.
I rate this book 4 stars and highly recommend it to readers and I do recommend reading book one before tackling this one.
I received a complementary e-version of this book from netgalley and the publishers. I was encouraged but not required to write a review and all opinions expressed are my own.

In Threads of Suspicion, Evie is part of the newly formed Missing Persons Task Force. She chooses to pursue the case of a college student who went missing without a trace in 2007. Her colleague, David, is researching the case of a missing Private Investigator who likewise vanished without a trace. While the two cases are dissimilar in time, they share a general locale which is why the two investigators are working at the same office location. As they separately pursue their cases, they bounce ideas and thoughts off one another.

There is something very relatable in all of Henderson's characters, and Evie is no different. Her personal internal debate as she is trying desperately to find the balance between career and relationships is very real to life. Dee manages to make police investigations about more than details (though her writing research gets all those details right!) but also about the people involved.

Detective Evie Blackwell is good at what she does; really good, so good in fact, that she has just been appointed by the governor to serve on an elite "Missing Persons Task Force" for the state of Illinois. Working within a team of highly talented investigators, she and her partner, David Marshal, head to Chicago to work on cases that don't seem to have anything in common except geographic location, until "threads of suspicion" begin to unravel in all directions and the two top cops feel a sense of urgency to find their killer.

This second novel in Dee Henderson's "Evie Blackwell Cold Case" series reads like an investigative textbook; full of swirling data, and confusing innuendos, but thankfully letting its readers tip-toe into the hearts and minds of two very focused detectives, whose personal lives hold just as many challenges as the facts of this case.

As the investigations continue, the cases begin to intertwine and even cross over into the personal lives of the two investigators. The resources of others are called in as the potential crimes take on even more ominous tones.

In addition to the mystery, the personal lives of the investigators are progressing. Evie has commitment issues and is trying to get to the bottom of why she is afraid of marriage. David's fiancee, Maggie, has commitment issues of her own with regards to faith.
Once again (at least for me) Dee Henderson has hit one out of the ballpark. This second in the Evie Blackwell series has a great mix of new and previous characters from other books. The intricacies of working a cold case and the intuitiveness of the requirements the law officers need to pull these cases together Dee relates in a very compelling and interesting manner. This book, though different from other books by Dee, is well worth the read.

Reading Dee Henderson's books is becoming part of the story. You love her characters, you hurt when they hurt, you smile when they smile and you wish you knew people like that in real life. When the story is over you look forward to the next one. Will it be about someone you met in this story? You hope so, because you don't want to let go of the people you met this time.

I highly recommend "Threads of Suspicion" by Dee Henderson. Evie Blackwell is a top investigator, with her partner, David Marshall. Trying to solve cases in Chicago area. They are trying to solve issuing person, but a cold case. As usual Dee Henderson has written a hard to put down mystery. A great book!

Evie Blackwell's reputation as a top investigator for the Illinois State Police has landed her an appointment to the governor's new Missing Persons Task Force. This elite investigative team is launched with plenty of public fanfare. The governor has made this initiative a high priority, so they will have to produce results--and quickly.

Evie and her new partner, David Marshal, are assigned to a pair of unrelated cases in suburban Chicago, and while both involve persons now missing for several years, the cases couldn't be more different. While Evie opens old wounds in a close-knit neighborhood to find a missing college student, David searches for a private investigator working for a high-powered client.

With a deep conviction that "justice for all" truly matters, Evie and David are unrelenting in their search for the truth. But Evie must also find answers to the questions that lie just beneath the surface in her personal life.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Okay, so I'm used to Dee Henderson's O'Malley Series where there's romance but also suspense and this is just totally different!! I had to buy book 1 and read which gave me a super hangover for work. That was okay. The fact that there's some romance, but that no one really gets together kind of left me hanging and I didn't mind it. I started the second book and wouldn't you know it...there are some romantic themes for some couples...that never really go anywhere!! Now, I'm all in. It's like I'm committed. There are some coldat were separate and now there connected which are leading to more cold cases until...BAM...Third book y'all!! So, I know some people are going to be like "What did I just read and OMG, are they ever gonna get together?" Well, Dee Henderson is good at what she does and some (READ ME) say brilliant. She could make this into 8 books and we'll read them because she's an awesome story teller. It's not like things are left hanging in the book because they aren't, they're just continued. All that to say - Read it and enjoy it!!!

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher/author for an honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

This was a great book! The characters are funny and real, they become like friends as you turn the pages. The plot is unpredictable, the struggles and faith of the characters are heartbreaking and relatable. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page, where you discover the case neatly wrapped with a bow in a way you never expected.

With this second Evie Blackwell Cold Case book I am even more enthralled with this new series. With the governor's Missing Persons Task Force up and running Evie finds herself in the outskirts of Chicago on her next case. This time around she has a new partner, David Marshal.

David and Evie have two completely different cases but use their skills to help each other out on their assigned missing person. We also get to catch up a little with some of the other members of the team as they pop in and out of the storyline.

I love a good mystery and that includes cozy mysteries. This series is definitely not cozy and does lean heavily towards suspense. Evie is very thoughtful and thorough in her approach to solving the mystery of the missing person. I enjoy reading about how she methodically plots out the case and then dives in to hunt down each piece seeing if it fits or not. Evie's new partner, David, takes a very different approach to solving his missing person case and it is fascinating to watch the two use their skills to help the other one out.

There's also a secondary ongoing storyline that involves Evie and her past. She's seriously involved with Rob, who is seemingly the perfect match for Evie, but something just won't let her commit. With this second book a bit more of her past is revealed so we get a bit more information on her commitment issues. I'm looking forward to future books to find out what all has happened to mold her into who she is.

If you like a story that builds in intensity right up to the very end you'll get it in Threads of Suspicion. I thought it was a fast read because the plot just kept uncovering more and more details that lead further and further down a sinister road. By the end I was reading and flipping pages as fast as I could. It was a completely satisfying read and I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment.

I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review.

Great book. Love anything that Dee Henderson writes.