Review – Traces of Guilt

The character development couldn’t be better in my mind. I am always amazed at how many characters there are in Dee Henderson’s books. I really like seeing how many characters from previous novels make brief appearances in each new book. She truly seems to have “a small world” scenario going on even crossing over from series to series. Along with that she has a marvelous talent for revealing personal information in a subtle way so that it feels like it comes out of a clear blue sky.

The cases that are being reexamined in this book are quickly summarized as each one is initially discussed. They over the course of time they are slowly picked apart and looked at from every possible angle.

One of the aspects of the search that is covered is the search for cadavers using specially trained dogs. The way that a handler works with a pair of dogs was described in great detail. I was fascinated by the information given.

I do want to warn that this is a very heavy book to read emotionally. The subject matter of two of the cases made it a difficult read. On top of that there is a great deal of focus placed on one of the family members who is looking for closure, and the emotions that she has been dealing with for years. I found myself having to take breaks from my reading just to work through the feelings that were stirred up in me for what the characters were dealing with. To me though that is just proof of how good the writing is.