My 16-year old has been bingeing on Dee Henderson books this month and was glad when I told her we had received a complimentary copy of this one from NetGalley. She devoured it in one day and wrote up this review for me: "I enjoyed reading about characters I’ve already fallen in love with and being introduced to new characters that I can’t wait to read more about. Dee Henderson is talented at creating several intriguing mysteries and weaving them together in a way that leaves you in suspense for the majority of the book. Traces of Guilt is no exception. However, I would not recommend this book to younger readers as the mysteries involve solving some crimes that are violent and evil. This book had a lot more heavy crime than some of her other books and although it still showed God’s love and comfort for his people, it didn’t do it as well as some of her other books. I still enjoyed the book though and I had a very hard time putting it down. Can’t wait for book 2!"

I’m very close to being completely done with Mrs. Henderson’s books (other than rereads of the O’Malleys and a selected few other books I already know I love). I still have copies of two more of her books that I haven’t yet read, but hope is running super thin about whether or not I’ll enjoy them. So sad, because they have beautiful covers and great blurbs.

There are spoilers ahead.

I wanted so much to love this book. Forensic Files is one of my favorite true-life shows on TV, because I love it when science is used to solve cold cases. I was hoping that this cold case series would be enjoyable and a throwback to an O’Malley style of story.

It wasn’t.

The character of Ann Falcon has returned to ruin yet another book with her completely controlling personality. I cannot imagine how she was such a “great cop” in the past, because any beat cop knows you can’t control outcomes of searches for dead bodies or the reactions of family members of crime victims or anything else really. All you can do is control yourself. But this character tries in this book to control what her friends say or do to each other, whether or not a body will be found on a piece of property because it will be “the better outcome” for the owner if a body isn’t found, and what information is given to a particular character by more than one person outside of herself because Ann assumes the person can’t handle the truth all at once or at all. I’m just so done with Ann Falcon.

Why does she keep popping up in these books as a very significant character when the standalones and even this series are not mentioned to be interconnected anywhere on any of their Goodreads pages?

Honestly, the best thing about Ann Falcon is her dog, Black. Love that critter.

Let’s talk about Evie for a sec. When we first meet her, she’s just been in a car wreck because a huge deer jumped in front of her car. So she has a concussion on top of a headache. (By the way, the headache is likely a symptom of the concussion, not a separate thing as indicated. I’ve had a concussion with a headache symptom before and researched concussions and their symptoms a few times, so this did not ring true to me.) She whines and talks about nonexistent ice cream a few times as if she were a two-year-old child who got a boo-boo. Once she realizes that she made a horrible first impression, she still comes off as quite immature. Yet somehow this lady has made it all the way to detective. Okay. Setting aside the maturity issues, because maybe she’s different when she’s on the job, let’s look at current evidence of her skills. She hesitates to use her gun, doesn’t even like carrying one, even though that’s a job requirement. Any cop who hesitates to use their weapon when it’s needed (but not to be trigger-happy, because that’s a whole different beast to tackle) would immediately be put on leave because they’d be a danger to themselves and the people they’re supposed to protect and serve. Also, she spooks easily, and a different character makes note of that. What kind of police detective spooks easily? Isn’t that trained out of them? Haven’t they seen so much trauma and crime that they’d stop jumping at shadows and being shocked to death when someone comes into the room behind them, especially if it’s someone they already know? I just did not believe that someone with these kinds of issues would be a police detective on good standing with her bosses and coworkers.

I liked that there was more action, more character interaction, more clues and actual police work than what was present in a couple of previous books in which people just sat around talking the cases to death or, worse, stared at each other for hours on Skype or something while the other was working. So this book was not 100% boring like those other ones. But the controlling factor was atrocious and not something I liked reading.

Needless to say, but I will anyway: I’m not looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Unfortunately, I have a copy and will be reading it this week. Yippee.

This book was not really for me, and had I realised that this was a Christian Fiction book when I requested it, I would have refrained.

The crime element of the book is actually not too bad, but the going is a little heavy and the dialogue rather unrealisitc, too many povs and no real suspense.

I guess Dee Henderson just doesn't do it for me.

Evie Blackwell excels at her job as a detective in the Illinois State Police force. So much so, that she is practically writing her own script . . . or job description. So when a special "cold case" task force is created, the natural go-to to lead the endeavor is Evie. True to form, her formidable detective skills not only shed light on two cold cases . .. . they also point to a potential third.

In the meantime, Sheriff Gabriel Thorne is trying to come to grips with the unexpected discoveries . . . both in his jurisdiction, and in his heart. Could Evie Blackwell hold the key to both?

I fell in love with Dee Henderson . . . the one who wrote the O'Malley series. And I realize that time has a way of changing a person, but I don't really recognize the Dee Henderson I fell in love with.

The characters changed. The moods changed. The writing style has changed, and not in a good way.

Henderson’s latest introduces Evie Blackwell, a police cold case investigator. The mysteries explored in the story are nuanced and their resolutions surprising. If one can get past Henderson’s extreme wordiness, the reward is well worth the effort. The interplay of the characters is fascinating and sets up some intriguing scenarios for future installments.
Evie Blackwell, a state police detective, is assigned to a new task force investigating cold cases. She arrives in Carin County, Ill., and meets Sheriff Gabriel Thane. He gives her information about two cases: a missing young girl, and the disappearance of a police officer and his entire family. As the two work together to explore new angles, they start to feel attraction to each other.

Excellent as always from this author . . . looking forward to the next one!

While I love the dynamics, the characters, the writing and the setting...there are parts of this storyline that are hard for me to read because of my own life. Which to me just means, good writing.
Thank You Dee.

This ARC was given to me by Net Galley for my honest opinion, which I have given here.

I’m a Dee Henderson fan. Her O’Malley series still sets the standard for suspense reading. That said, I’ve had issues with her last several books. They take so long to get to the gripping part of the story that I’ve been known to quit before I really get into the book. Traces of Guilt did much the same thing, wandering around for almost 7 chapters before grabbing me by the throat and hanging on to the end. Quitting early would have been a mistake here and that gives me hope that maybe I should go back and try again with some of the others.
“Traces of Guilt” introduces us to Detective Evie Blackwell, Illinois State Police. She is sent to Carin County, home of Sheriff Gabriel Thane, to look into two cold cases to see if she can stir up any new clues. Using two weeks of her vacation time before she joins the governor’s cold case task force, Evie’s “new set of eyes” brings leads that Gabriel’s men overlooked thirteen years before. As the dead ends mount, can Evie find the one piece of evidence she needs to close at least one of the cases?
Gabriel Thane is frankly a little insulted that the governor thinks his department needs help but, since his friend Ann (Silver) Falcon recommends Evie to him he’s willing to let her bang her head against the same brick walls he hit. When Ann brings him a lead he never would have guessed, he realizes he may need help after all. (Dee Henderson readers will recognize Ann from the book “Full Disclosure”.)
I liked the family dynamics in the Thane brothers – Gabriel, Will & Joshua – and their father. Each has a different gift but each is willing to step in and help in any way they can. I expect that future books, while still primarily focusing on Evie Blackwell, will also continue storylines for these brothers. At least, that’s what I would hope to see. What happens with Will and Karen? Joshua and Grace? Gabriel & Evie?
I also appreciated the strong faith aspect portrayed here. Gabriel, Evie, Ann, and many of the others all used prayer as a first line of defense, not a last resort, and all were very open in being Christ followers. In their professions, I would think it is crucial to know that evil does not win in the end!
Mystery and suspense readers will definitely appreciate this one but keep in mind it starts slow! There’s also just a touch of a hint of romance – not enough to satisfy the romance addict but plenty for those who prefer to build their relationships slowly. I look forward to where book 2 “Threads of Suspicion” in the Evie Blackwell Cold Cases series will take me!

Traces of Guilt
An Evie Blackwell Cold Case #1
By Dee Henderson

Evie Blackwell is dedicated to her job and is embarking on new chapter in her career as a detective. She's testing the waters in a new task force that Ann Falcon is overseeing - one that is focused on unsolved missing-person cases across the state of Illinois. At Ann's direction Evie targeted Carin County as her beta site.

Carin County seems that your typical rural area, but it is also the site of several cold cases. And what Evie discovers could have lasting repercussions on Carin and on the Thane family.

Gabriel Thane is Carin County's sheriff, a job he loves just as his father did. But Carin has been keeping secrets for many years as to the whereabouts of several missing people. With a knack for looking at the facts from a different angle Gabriel is hoping Evie can find that one elusive clue that will unlock the truth giving both the families and Carin the resolution they all long for.

Fans of Dee Henderson will not be disappointed - though this appears to be the first book in a new series some of Dee's other characters from previous stories make an appearance (or get a mention). Ann of course, along with her husband Paul are the most featured after Evie, Gabriel, and the Thane clan. One can easily see who both Evie and Gabriel could be friends with Ann.

Those who read Sins of the Past with Dee Henderson's Missing will have an idea of what this new task force will be like. If not you can enjoy this Romantic Suspense collection at a later date.

Suspense, tragedy, romance this book offers all of this and more. This is the perfect book for any long week-ends that may be coming up. And I just have to say the cover is perfect for this book.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.