My Review - Traces of Guilt

5 out of 5 stars

With TRACES OF GUILT, Dee Henderson once again weaves together intriguing plots and engaging characters, and does it with such fluidity; I couldn’t help but be consumed by it.

Detective Evie Blackwell is good at what she does. Catching the attention of the right people, it’s no wonder she’s assigned to a new task force that will concentrate its efforts on cold cases. Wanting to get a head start, Evie travels to Carin, Illinois, where she teams up with Sheriff Gabriel Thane to solve two crimes that took place in his county; the disappearance of a family, and the disappearance of a six-year-old girl. Evie, with Gabriel’s help goes over old evidence and finds new leads. Evie instantly feels a connection with Gabriel—their partnership easy and comfortable, but doesn’t think a two-cop relationship is healthy; her schedule is complicated enough. Trying to work a relationship around her agenda and that of a small-town sheriff seems like a recipe for disaster. Deciding it is best to keep their relationship professional; Evie and Gabriel find evidence that hits close to home for the Thane’s family. Emotions run high and clues lead to dead ends, but Evie refuses to give up. She knows they are on the cusp of solving not only the cases they intended, but others that have been unearthed in the process.

At first, Gabriel Thane’s isn’t sure how he feels about Evie Blackwell coming into his town and opening old wounds. However, he realizes Evie brings a fresh perspective to the cases; something only an outsider can do. Intrigued by both her process and the women herself, Gabriel is committed to following the leads she finds, no matter how unorthodox, hoping to lay the unsolved cases to rest.

TRACES OF GUILT is multi-faceted, with both old and new characters. The chemistry between Evie and Gabriel is palatable, yet Henderson keeps the reader guessing to the extent of their connection. Ann Falcon, from FULL DISCLOSURE has a large presence in this novel, and name-drops others from previous books. With the introduction of the Thanes family, Henderson has a deep well of characters to draw from for future installments. Though the stories of Josh and Grace and Will and Karen are introduced, there is so much more to learn about these couples. I also hope Ann and Paul continue to be a presence in this series. I can’t put my finger on what it is about Dee Henderson’s style, that makes her books irresistible, but whatever it is, it was in full force in TRACES OF GUILT.