Publisher's Weekly Review
Few Christian novelists are currently as hot as Henderson, who is burning up CBA bestseller charts with two different series and earning a reputation for her action-packed stories of suspense, romance and courage. But this fifth installment in the O'Malley series shows a bit of wear and tear. Rachel O'Malley is a trauma psychologist specializing in helping victims of disasters obtain closure and heal spiritually. Her emotions are drained by assisting refugees after an Illinois flood and by her grief over her sister Jennifer, who is dying of cancer. As Rachel works to repair flood-damaged psyches and homes while exploring romance with Capt. Cole Parker, another sister, Lisa, a forensic pathologist, tries to decipher clues at a possible double murder scene. The murder weapon turns up again in a rather clichd Columbine-esque school shooting that improbably finds Rachel and Jennifer arriving at its onset. It's a dizzying read: the strained plot never seems fully fleshed out, and there are some odd moments, such as when Rachel and Jennifer plan a "surprise wedding" for their sister Kate. Henderson's writing can have a magical quality that keeps readers turning the pages, though, even as they're scrambling to remember the more than two dozen featured characters, their occupations and their relationships to one another. Loyal Henderson fans will likely snatch up this latest O'Malley tale, but new readers won't get the flavor for the quality of some of her previous offerings. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Library Journal Review
Following The Protector, Henderson tackles the issue of faith in a person touched daily by tragedy. A trauma psychologist for the Red Cross, Rachel O'Malley can be called at a moment's notice into areas where disasters, natural or human, can turn an ordinary day into a nightmare. Battling her growing feelings for Capt. Cole Parker, a firefighter who works with her brother, Rachel also wrestles with her ambivalence toward a God who is letting her beloved sister, Jennifer, slowly die of cancer. When three kids are killed at a local school and a ruptured dam floods the area, Rachel doesn't know where she'll find the strength to continue, but her family and Cole lend her their faith. Expect high demand from fans, as Henderson turns in her most powerful, moving entry in the series yet. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
