Rating: 
Summary: Compulsively readable!
Review: This is a wonderful book! I stumbled across Danger in the Shadows by accident and enjoyed it, so I decided to go ahead and read the Negotiator. I'm so glad I did. This is truly a great book. The suspense made it a page turner, the romance was sweet, and the religious questions addressed were interesting and thought provoking.Kate O'Malley is a no nonsense hostage negotiator who doesn't believe in relying on anyone, other than her family, the O'Malleys, and who believes God doesn't exist. How could He exist, she wonders, with all the bad that happens in our world? Then, Kate works a hostage situation and meets Dave Richman, who was introduced in Danger in the Shadows. Dave and Kate are opposites in many ways; Dave is rich and he grew up with his father in Britian, while Kate grew up in an orphanage. Dave is a patient FBI agent with a strong faith in and devotion to God. As Dave spends time with Kate trying to protect her, his feelings grow. But their opposite views on God hold them apart. This book is excellent at examining religious issues people face as they date. Dave has feelings for Kate, but must wrestle with the fact that she is a non-believer. Meanwhile, Kate likes Dave and she respects his beliefs, but she still struggles with her questions. In the midst of it all, Kate is in danger and trying to solve a high profile case. This book is wonderful is so many ways. There are many choices a reviewer could make to talk about in a review; the well written and suspenseful plot, the gentle romance, etc. All would make interesting discussions. I also don't think the reader has to be Christian to enjoy The Negotiator. This book will generate some great thought questions. It isn't empty entertainment by any means. And the best part is that is a clean read. Dee Henderson did an absolutely fabulous job in creating this book. It is, indeed, compulsively readable.
Rating:
Summary: IMPRESSIVE!
Review: A solid piece of writing from both my editor's and writer's eye sense. Couldn't believe it . . . a romance developing while trying to calm down an armed crazy man threatening hostages! Very creative! Would not have changed a single word.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book but....
Review: It's obviously a great book but I would also recommend Faith Bishop's "Secret Babylon: Enemy of the Spirit". That book has it all, suspense, romance, vivid imagery and engaging dialogue.
Rating:
Summary: Mystery/suspense + romance + religion = The Negotiator.
Review: While the prequel "Danger in the Shadows" was 25% suspense and 75% romance, the first official entry in Dee Henderson's popular "O'Malley" series sees a welcome switch of the figures: 75% suspense and only 25% romance. The main plot of this mystery concerns hostage negotiator Kate O'Malley and FBI agent Dave Richman (brother of the protagonist Sara from the prequel), who together unravel the mystery involving a bank robbery crisis, a bombed aeroplane, a family member from Kate's past, and various mysterious threats against Kate's life. This suspense thriller plot dominates the novel, generating strong interest and resulting in a real page-turner. The only real weaknesses is that the solution is rather complex and at times frustratingly hard to follow, and the clues given on the first page of chapter four are enough for astute readers to figure out whodunnit, preventing them from being misled by the red herrings which rest suspicion on a different character. And the characterization isn't very deep (both Kate and Dave are rather too bold and beautiful to be believeable), but it's the storyline which really drives this book. On the whole, the main plot is immensely satisfying, and carried me from the beginning of the novel to the end. Besides the main plot, there are three sub-plots: 1. Romance - the relationship between Kate and Dave; 2. Religion - Kate's journey to becoming a Christian; 3. Sickness - the cancer of Kate's sister, which is left hanging and not resolved at the end of this book (as well as related questions about unanswered prayer). Unlike the prequel, these sub-plots do not weigh down or detract from the main suspense. Just as with the first book, I had a few questions about the Christian elements, such as attitudes towards Sunday rest and entertainment. I was pleasantly surprised to notice that Dave at the outset did not want to get into a relationship with someone who was not a believer, although disappointingly this didn't seem to put the brakes on the way he grew closer to Kate as the novel progressed, and that he wasn't able to stay entirely true to his principles by allowing himself to fall in love with her. But unlike other Christian novelists, the focus was neither romance nor an artificial conversion story (the conversion itself wasn't very plausible, but there are certainly some interesting apologetics!). In fact, it was refreshing to see some often misunderstood Biblical truths very clearly stated: "It wasn't his job to convince her to believe. God knew best how to draw her to Him." "He is both just and merciful in equal measure." "God didn't shortchange justice to grant mercy. He paid the full price Himself." In her post word, Hendersoon remarks that the relationship between justice and mercy is one of the questions that was central in her mind as she wrote the novel: "I was curious to find out which would be more powerful - a need for justice or a need for mercy - if the dilemma became very personal. I sketched a story that let me explore the subject, and found Kate's journey through the questions fascinating." These questions were not central to the novel (they seemed to be more questions about Christ rather than the characters themselves), but they were certainly not dealt with an an unsatisfactory manner as has been the case in other Christian novels I've read. Closely related to this theme is the Bible verse that Henderson begins the novel with: "For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10), about which one of the characters says "Part of the mystery of salvation is that to save the lost, us, Jesus had to die in our place." But while the theology is there, Henderson doesn't make the mistake as some other Christian novelists, and focuses mainly on the plot. And she's right in doing so, because we don't firstly pick up her book to read theology, but to read a good story. And a good story is certainly what she delivers (although not as successfully as Terri Blackstock), while reminding her readers of God's justice and mercy in Christ in the process. The good news is that Kate is merely the first of the O'Malley family, seven siblings from an orphanage who became a family by changing their name to O'Malley, and that Henderson has a book on each other member of the family. Keep 'em coming! -GODLY GADFLY
Rating:
Summary: 5 starts for the content, 3 stars for the CD
Review: I love the O'Malley Series. I checked-out this CD edition from the library where I work to see how the abridged version compares to the unabridged book. It's still very enjoyable and I love the added sound effects. My problem with the discs is that each disc has only 1 track--therefore if you listen to part of a disc in your car and want to finish it at home (as I often do) it is much harder to find where you left off.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Love the book. It has great characters. Nice police and rescue worker action. The Female characters nicely done, Not the fainting type yet willing to let a guy give them A hand. Love it I would recomend the Prequel Danger in the Shadows as well as all the other O'Malley series books.
Rating:
Summary: could not put this down
Review: I am a mother of two and I has been a long time comming. I have not found an author this good in a long time. every book of hers that I pick up is wonderful.
this is a great book. enjoy it
Rating:
Summary: O'Malley Series the Best Ever
Review: Starting with Danger in the Shadows and ending with the Rescuer, all written by Dee Henderson, fabulous! Couldn't put the books down. I loved them. I passed them around and everyone I gave them to loved them. I recommend all reading by Dee Henderson, she's a breath of fresh air to writing.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read!
Review: I picked this book and the 2nd in the sequel up at store. I had not intended to buy any books but something about the cover caught my eye. I had never read any Christian suspense books and didn't know they existed. Dee Henderson has a new fan. I bought this and the 2nd book on a Friday. On the following Monday I ordered the remaining books in the series and several others written by Henderson. If that is any indication to the superb writing abilities of this author, buy the books.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-written, but disappointing
Review: When I stumbled upon this book in the O'Malley series, I thought had found a respite from the usual, formula Christian romance books I had read. Kate was a strong female character, a welcome change from weak female characters who play the smaller part in the Christian romance genre. The book is well-written, however, there was much too much emphasis on the action, and mystery and not enough on the relationship. I liked the back story about Kate forming a family with the other orphans, THAT was something new. Like other readers, I could not finish reading the book. My interest was lost somewhere in the middle. I assume Kate and Dave got together in the end, but by then, I just didn't care.
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