Thursday, December 13, 2012

REVIEW: FULL DISCLOSURE ~ DEE HENDERSON




Something doesn’t seem right; something is just off about the car crash Ann Silver is investigating.  Pursuing what most would consider an open and shut case, Ann picks up a thread that leads her to the Lady Shooter - an elusive female assassin responsible for thirty cold case murders.  Not one to overstep or throw her weight around, Ann delivers what she found to Paul Falcon, the FBI’s top murder cop, the agent who refuses to let the Lady Shooter case rest.

Fascinated by the woman who gave him the evidence of his dreams on a silver platter, not wanting the credit or collar for herself, Paul makes an effort to become Ann’s friend.  Not living near each other complicates matters, but Paul and Ann embark on a tentative friendship connecting through video chats.   Getting to know Ann, Paul soon realises she’s a complicated woman with many layers, and she harbours many secrets.  She knows spies, soldiers and U.S. Marshals; she is friends with people in witness protection and is close to the former Vice President.  People with very good reason to be cautious about who they let into their lives, deeply trust her.  

Paul can’t help but wonder just what secrets Ann is keeping, and as he keeps her in the loop on the Lady Shooter case he starts to gain her trust and respect.  Finally Ann takes Paul into her confidence and shows him the John Doe Killer case file, and he starts to realize just who the woman he is falling in love with really is.




Full Disclosure is Dee Henderson’s latest release, and is a truly wonderful read.  The story is exactly 50% about Paul and Ann’s personal relationship and 50% police work.  The workings of Ann and Paul’s jobs are wonderfully realistic and very interesting to follow.  The story is very well plotted and it’s impossible for the reader not to become invested in the outcome. 

Ann and Paul are wonderful characters, and I love that they are both Christians.  Usually in Christian fiction one person has strong faith but the other is lost, and it’s about one leading the other to Christ.  In this case their faith is the best thing Ann and Paul have in common, and what cements their relationship.   Their relationship and its progression are also very realistic.  It takes a lot of patience and perseverance from Paul to enable Ann to finally trust him enough to open herself up to him.  I love how they discuss all angles of a possible future before considering marriage – that’s how it should be.  You don’t just ask someone to marry you; you have to discuss the really important things first.  This is the first book where I encountered such a realistic approach to such a huge commitment.

I especially love the supporting characters in this book.  I was surprised and overjoyed by the cameos of some of the O’Malleys!  The O’Malley series is my favourite of Dee Henderson’s work, and she also very cleverly made Ann Silver the author of the O’Malley series (and Henderson’s other works).  A very nice touch, which I love.  It felt like catching up with old friends.   

I enjoyed every single page of this book, though I have to admit I wanted more from the ending.  I wanted a little more for Paul and Ann.  *Spoiler Alert*  I wanted Ann to change her mind about having kids – I wanted that for them.  I wanted Ann to somehow find the courage to publicly admit her secret and be free of it; but then I’ve never been a victim, so I can’t possibly understand the need to protect my right to privacy.  I guess this too adds to the authenticity of this book – happy endings don’t mean the same things for everybody.  Paul and Ann found what works for them, and ultimately, works in the book.  Full Disclosure is one of those books that is hard to put down and the thoughts it provokes are far reaching.  Definitely worth the read.



Product information:
Title: Full Disclosure
Author: Dee Henderson
Number of pages: 473
Publisher: Bethany House 
Year: 2012
Trade Paper ISBN: 978-0-7642-1089-1
Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-7642-1090-7
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-4412-6117-5

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

2012 IN REVIEW

If my calculations are correct, I have read 34 books in 2012.  Here are my picks for the best ones - my favourites, which I would encourage you to read.  (Not all were released in 2012)

Absolute favourite book read in 2012.
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords 2 - Blood and Gold by George R.R Martin (2000).  This book completely blew my mind.  Excellent writing, excellent storytelling, and jaw-dropping surprises.  Of course, you would have had to read the previous three books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series to really appreciate this one.


Best Young Adult novel:
Both Hunting Lila (2011), and its sequel Losing Lila (2012) by Sarah Alderson.  This was the best YA fiction I have read in a while.  The story is gripping, the characters are fascinating and the writing is wonderful.


Best historical novel:
Maid to Match (2010) by Deeanne Gist.  This book was beautifully done, very realistic and an all-round lovely read.


Best Christian novel:
Pearl In The Sand (2010) by Tessa Afshar.  It has been a few years since I have discovered a book I love this much.  It is right up there with Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, which is my favourite novel of all time.  Perfection.


Best Tyndale review book:
Trauma Plan (2012) by Candace Calvert.  This is a close second to best Christian novel.  I loved everything about this book; great story, great lessons and wonderful character development.


Here's hoping 2013 will bring more amazing books, and deliver some more masterpieces we can claim as favourites.

Happy reading.
 

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

NOW READING: FULL DISCLOSURE ~ DEE HENDERSON

Ann Silver is a cop’s cop. As the Midwest Homicide Investigator, she is called in to help on the worst of the cases, looking for answers to murder. Hers is one of the most trusted investigative positions in the Midwest.

Paul Falcon is the FBI’s top murder cop. If the victim carried a federal badge or had a security clearance, odds are good he sees the case file or his guys work the murder.

Their lives intersect when Ann arrives to pass a case off her desk and onto his. A car wreck and a suspicious death offer a lead on a hired shooter he is tracking. Paul isn’t expecting to meet someone, the kind that goes on the personal side of the ledger, but Ann Silver has his attention.

The better he gets to know her, the more he realizes her job barely scratches the surface of who she is. She knows spies and soldiers and U.S. Marshals, and has written books about them. She is friends with the former Vice President. People with good reason to be cautious about who they let into their lives deeply trust her. Paul wonders just what secrets Ann is keeping, until she shows him the John Doe Killer case file, and he starts to realize just who this lady he is falling in love with really is . . .  



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