The Guardian (Paperback)

The characters are very black and white. They're either sickeningly perfect or completely bad. Marcus, Jennifer, Kate, Dave, Shari, her mom, her brother, her dad, Carl, the rest of the O'Malleys... I don't know anyone like these people. They're all saints, all beautiful, all educated, all financially well-off. Sure, they've had bad things happen to them, but they're always the victims. I got the impression they've never done or said anything hurtful, inappropriate, or irresponsible themselves.

Their jobs! The O'Malley's are ALL heroes of some kind. And they're all exceptional at their jobs - among the best in their fields. Please.

The family is a little too enmeshed. Especially when it comes to Marcus. I understand he sees himself as a father-figure to the others. But it gets to be a bit much. Example:
p. 203
If something happened to him, who would keep Lisa out of trouble?
[She's a grown woman. She'd keep herself out of trouble.]
Who would give Rachel a hug?
[Is he the only person who hugs her?]
Who would talk to Kate in the middle of the night when she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders?
[This one I can understand. But she does have Dave now.]
Who would ensure Jennifer got everything possible to help her get well?
[The others? Her fiancee? Herself? She's a doctor, after all.]

Another example. Kate, Jennifer, and Marcus all fret over getting married and changing the dynamic between the rest of the family members. It's almost like they feel they'll be betraying each other if they become involved in serious relationships. That doesn't sound normal, but it comes across to me like the author intends it to sound as if it is.

I thought the best parts had to do with solving the case.
Again, maybe my problem is just with the genre. If so, I apologize to Dee. I just didn't see my viewpoint represented anywhere else in the feedback section and wanted to give others like me fair warning.

Shari Hanford witnesses the murder of a federal judge. The killer knows that he left behind a mistake-- Shari. As a US Marshal, Marcus O'Malley takes the murder of a judge personally. He's determined to find the killer. But it's not a normal case. As a witness, Shari needs protection. Marcus wants to join in the hunt for the killer, but he cares about Shari and wants to make sure she's kept safe. While the killer gets closer to Shari, and Marcus and Shari get closer to each other, they must deal with the issue of faith. Can Shari continue to faithfully believe despite Marcus's doubts? Can Marcus learn to again trust the God that he feels let his mother die? The reader can't help but become emotionally involved as the book clips along at breakneck pace.

Dee Henderson could have easily chosen to use the same faith questions for this book that she addressed in The Negotiator. Instead, she branched off to new faith questions and did so in eloquent and gentle fashion. While caught up in the action and impressed with the gentle relationship building between Marcus and Shari, the reader can't help but see the view point of both Marcus and Shari as they struggle with their questions about faith and prayer. As they take the journey through their questions, the reader will experience it as well. With everything else going on, Henderson also gives us another great look at the O'Malley family dynamic. A sweet, gentle love story against the harsh backdrop of a murder and the ensuing investigation, this is a definite must read.