After six years, Dee Henderson returns with her new romantic thriller
Full Disclosure (Bethany House)—which shows readers that following God can lead in unexpected directions.
It’s been six long years since Dee Henderson released a romantic suspense novel, but on Oct. 2, 2012, the wait will be over when Full Disclosure (Bethany House) hits bookstores and e-readers across the nation. Preceded by 15 bestsellers, including the beloved O’Malley and Uncommon Heroes series, shelves likely won’t stay full for long. The tale of Midwest homicide investigator Ann Silver and FBI agent Paul Falcon, Full Disclosure is Dee’s longest novel to date. “It has a richer plot with more layers than some of my stories,” she says. With a solid mystery and romance thread, it also ties to her other books in a unique and surprising way that’s sure to delight fans.
As is true for many authors, Dee was a voracious reader as a child and dreamed of being a writer. “When my teachers wanted to punish me, they would take away the book I was reading before I went to recess,” Dee says. “Writing has been my first love, and I knew that from a young age; but I was just smart enough to understand the doorway to what I wanted for my life had a two-part answer.” In order to eat, she became an engineer to pay the bills. For 10 years, she worked on computer chips and solving hard-ware and software interaction problems in the telecom field. “It gave me time to learn how to write good fiction. I used the savings I gathered [during] a decade to take a risk when I was ready to make the move into writing full-time.”
Dee first hit the fiction scene in 1998 when she released two romance novellas. She quickly followed up in 1999 with The Negotiator, Book #1 in the O’Malley Series. Telling the stories of seven orphans who all change their last names and become a family, the novels gave insider glimpses into the lives of FBI agents, hostage negotiators, U.S. Marshals, firemen (and women), paramedics and others.
After the 2006 release of the standalone Before I Wake (Tyndale), Dee dropped out of the book industry scene. Much speculation was made about the reason for her lengthy hiatus, but it’s really quite simple. For the past three years, Dee’s struggled with a serious neck injury that limited her time at her desk—pure torture for a writer. “I’m wired by God to be a storyteller,” Dee says. “Hours spent working on a story are not a job; they are, in fact, the reward for having gotten the rest of my life uncluttered enough that I can go do what I want. Most often that’s putting a pen to paper and being lost in a story I’m creating.”
Known for the authenticity of her novels, a strong sense of family flows through her tales, perhaps thanks to the support she’s received from her own. “My dad never once doubted that I could be a writer if that was what I wanted to be,” Dee says. “He would recognize the effort and encourage me to keep at it. He still has my first story, ‘A Horse Called Willy,’ in his files. For the past 15 years, my mother has been the helper who makes it possible for me to write. She’s stuffed more envelopes, counted more bookmarks, fixed more meals than I can count. If the books have sold, it’s because of Mom’s tireless efforts.
“I hope that after reading Full Disclosure, readers will realize life walking with God can lead in unexpected directions, but He has a good plan in mind and knows who we are.”
This article originally appeared in the September/October 2012 issue of FamilyFiction digital magazine. Subscribe for free today!