Wednesday, October 10, 2012

CFBA: Full Disclosure

Song Stuck on the Brain: Do You Want to Dance by Del Shannon




This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:
 
Full Disclosure
Bethany House Publishers (October 2, 2012)
 
by
 
Dee Henderson
 
MY TAKE:
 
Dee is back, YAY! I actually squealed when I saw this book offer. I've been a fan of Dee's for years and I’ve missed her fantastic storytelling. Full Disclosure may be her first book in 5 years, but it feels like coming home.
 
Ann Silver – is she fiction or not? It didn’t take long before Ann’s character seemed really familiar, in fact she reminded me a LOT of her author Dee based on what I’ve read on her website and in interviews. Then there were Ann’s friends. Those familiar with Dee’s O’Malley series will find a lot of familiar characters between the pages. In fact as you learn more about Ann you begin to wonder where reality stops and fiction begins between the author and her heroine.  It’s enticing, to say the least, to discover all the connections between Full Disclosure and the many books in Dee’s resume.
 
That of course is only part of the intrigue. New readers can take that for what it is, but don’t worry about feeling lost in the story if you haven’t read her entire back list. There’s plenty of mystery to unravel.
 
I’ve seen a few reviewers comment that they felt the story had a slow start and wasn’t up to her earlier standards. I have to disagree. The story does have a little different feel, it seems more character driven in the beginning, but that’s a little deceptive, because the author is actually rolling out a really involved plot and tying so many threads together it’s impressive when you see the final picture. It’s like a pot of water heating, the temperature rising to boiling in a blink with little warning.
 
In the midst of all the mystery is a love story that faces opposition in an unusual way. Ann and Paul are a little older, more mature, past their wild early career days and past their first heartbreaks. They know what family means and what they want, but they aren’t so anxious to be married that they are willing to settle for less than what God has in mind. They’re comfortable in their own skin and okay with being alone. I appreciate the intentional way that Paul pursues Ann, always careful to listen for God’s leading and considering Ann first. It’s a beautiful example of what real love should be; full of passion and temperance, selfless courage, faith and honesty.
 
In the book Ann shares how she writes all of her friends love stories, and Full Disclosure feels very much like the author’s nod toward writing a version of her own love story, or what she would imagine it being. It's fiction, but it rings with true to life intimacy and heart.
 
Fantastic job, Dee. You had a well-deserved hiatus, but welcome back to the top. Can’t wait to see what comes next.
 
*** NOTE: Dee’s website announced that there is a new O’Malley story coming in 2013. Jennifer and Tom’s story is finally being published. Check out herwebsite for more details.

 
ABOUT THE BOOK:

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

Paul Falcon is the FBI's top murder cop in the Midwest. If the victim carried a federal badge or had a security clearance, odds are good Paul and his team see the case file or 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 Paul 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…

Watch the book trailer:

If you would like to read the first chapter of Full Disclosure, go HERE.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dee Henderson is the bestselling, award-winning author of 15 previous novels, including the acclaimed O'MALLEY series and UNCOMMON HEROES series. She is a lifelong resident of Illinois.

1 comment:

Diane Estrella said...

This sounds like an interesting book. Thanks for highlighting it. Have a great week! :O)

Diane
www.dianeestrella.com