Traces of Guilt by Dee Henderson

Dee Henderson is a master at taking characters from her other books and weaving them within her latest stories. The threads that tie all of her characters together are one of the many reasons she’s often at the top of my list when someone asks for a good romantic suspense writer. In her latest offering, Traces of Guilt, not only does Henderson continue the trend of incorporating her past characters, she gives voice to one of them.

While balancing not only multiple points of view (more than two which is a bit of a change for her) but also multiple storylines and crimes, Henderson’s ability to tie everything together through the Thane family is a reflection of her ability to engage readers. I felt like I was sitting in the room with Evie, Gabriel, and Ann as they worked to solve two cold cases in the town of Carin.

Most of the book is in either Evie’s or Gabriel Thane’s point of view but we do get some insight into the other characters once in a while. It was great to get a better peek into Ann Falcon’s life (she’s shown up in books between her story in Full Disclosure and this one but in Traces, we get a better insight into her life now that she’s happily married).

I appreciate that Henderson writes strong female characters despite some horrific experiences and the men in their lives who are not only protective of them but also who encourage and uplift them.

There is just the tiniest hint of romance between the two main characters in this one. They’re building a friendship—one that hopefully blossoms into more in future books. In the end, she left me wanting more (which I’m hoping will be a wish fulfilled because this does look like the start of a new series: An Evie Blackwell Cold Case).

Traces of Guilt is available to pre-order with a release date of May 3. Just a helpful suggestion: Pick up Sins of the Past (also available May 3) and read Henderson’s novella before Traces and you’ll recognize one more name.

***Bethany House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.