Novel: The Negotiator
Author: Dee Henderson
2001
296 pages
Romance / Mystery
The Negotiator is my first Dee Henderson novel and though I enjoyed the story, it wasn’t entirely my “cup of tea.” I like suspense and intrigue, and while this contained both, it also was a romance. Now don’t get me wrong. I am not against romance in a well written novel . But I prefer hints and indicators rather than page upon page of idle “chit-chat”, romantic bouts of eye contact, and cheek caressing, especially if the plot is trying to track down a murderous bomber of a huge airliner.
The Negotiator is well written with believable characters. It sweeps you along through investigations, crime scene analysis and provides all the romantic background details. Yet, I had to fight the urge to bypass pages of the developing romance between the two main characters. I wanted to get back to the excitement of the crime.
Every section of excitement needs a break – a calming time where the reader can prepare for the next bout of intensity. At times, there was too much calming and not enough intensity. The last 1/3 of the book picked up momentum and continued with only minor distractions. All in all, The Negotiator was well written [the first in a series], which will please many.
I did a search and a lot of the information on Dee Henderson is older than a year. The last book published, that I could find was printed in 2008- “The Kidnapped”, so she apparently may be writing another novel as we speak. We can only hope. Her website does not offer much information, and other sources are quite outdated.
I have love all Dee Henderson’s books. Where did she go?