Dee Henderson, Before I Wake

Before I Wake

Dee Henderson

Tyndale, Oct 2006, $13.99

ISBN: 1414308159

Rae Gabriella left the FBI after years of dedicated service when a case went ugly. She accepts a position as a private detective at Chapel Detective Agency II, headed by her former Fed partner Bruce Chapel in Justice, Illinois though she has doubts about working with her former lover, but her hometown is nearby so she can visit family and she has to start somewhere.

Justice County Sheriff Nathan Justice has his hands full with a strike that could turn violent and his grandfather. However, he soon has more to deal with when Peggy Worth is found dead in her hotel room, five rooms away from where Rae is staying; a woman she met earlier in the day. Peggy's parents hire Rae to investigate what seemed likely a natural death in her sleep of a twenty-eight-year-old healthy female. Soon Bruce, Rae and Nathan know that a serial killer murders women in their hotel room without a whisper or a hint of a struggle, but never takes their money or jewelry so no motive has surfaced. Whereas she seeks justice, he fears she could be next.

This is a fabulous police procedural serial killer thriller though two of the "cops" are former law enforcement officials. The storyline hints at a romantic triangle, but that simmers on the back burner as the trio work together to stop a clever silent killer. The story line is action-packed as the tension mounts on two levels, personal and professional. Fans witness a tense suspense cat and mouse thriller.

Harriet Klausner