TRACES OF GUILT by Dee Henderson

Evie Blackwell loves her job as an Illinois police detective but what she really likes to do is solve puzzles.  That makes her the perfect person for heading up a new task force that will focus on unsolved crimes across Illinois.  She’ll be working closely with Sheriff Gabriel Thane in Carin County.  Gabe grew up in Carin when his dad was Sheriff and wanted to follow in his footsteps by upholding the law and protecting the citizens.  As they begin taking a closer look at the unsolved cases they discover that they’re just might be a connection.  As they work together, Gabriel and Evie begin forming a friendship that just might last longer then the end of the cases.

Traces of Guilt was a good story.  It had to do with cold cases so it was the mystery of what happened in those cases rather than any suspense.  I really liked the Thane brothers and am hoping that there will be other books to further their stories.  They’re a close knit family and well respected in their community.  I loved their camaraderie and the way they cared for each other.  Ann Falcon (from Full Disclosure) was very much a part of this story.  She’s good friends with the Thane family and also with Evie.  I really didn’t like Ann in Full Disclosure but found I liked her better in this story.  Gabriel and Evie want to find that certain someone and have the type of relationship that Anne and Paul Falcon have.  I felt like there was chemistry between Gabriel and Evie but nothing romantic developed.  That was disappointing to me.  However, the door is left open for something more in the future.  Actually, there was no romance to speak of in this story other than what was spoken about between Will Thane and Karen.  I really missed that aspect.  Overall it was a good story and would recommend it to those who have enjoyed this author’s most recent work.

*This complimentary copy was provided by Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

A couple of quotes:

“God loves my son, and He loves Karen.  I’ve come to accept the fact that God understands better than I ever will how to seek and save Will.”

“But just remember one thing.  You want peace with a man’s mother, you bring him to church every Sunday, and when the kids come along, you bring them too.”

For more information about this book or other books by Dee Henderson I recommend you visit her website at http://www.deehenderson.com