Customer Reviews

The Healer (The O'Malley Series #5)

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dee Henderson, you've done it again! The fifth book of the O'Malley series, "The Healer" will just captivate you! And if you've read all three books and loved them as much as I do, I'm sure you feel a part of the O'Malley family now!

The O'Malley family consists of seven brothers and sister, three boys and four girls. Since they were little they had been in the same orphanage and when they got out of the orphanage, they decided to 'adopt' each other, taking the name O'Malley as their family name. They all have very important jobs, Marcus is a U.S. Marshal, Kate a negotiator for hostage situations, botched-up robberies, etc., Jennifer is a doctor, Jack a fireman, Stephen a paramedic, Rachel a trauma psychologist, and Lisa is a forensic pathologist. This story is about Rachel O'Malley, 'the healer'.

Rachel O'Malley by the faith and prayers of her family is now a Christian. But being a trauma psychologist is a tense and stressful job. Working at disasters for the Red Cross, trying to heal the lives of children torn apart by parent's divorces, Rachel finds it hard at times to trust in Jesus to help her let go of the hurt she sees.

Captain Cole Parker, captain of a fire company who has spent the last few years fighting fires and trying to stop arsons. A devout Christian from a young age, Cole sticks by Rachel and helps her through the hard times. It is inevitable that they become closer, even reaching the point of falling in love.

But in the midst of Rachel of having to deal with the fact she might lose her sister Jennifer to cancer, tragedy strikes. When Rachel's sister Lisa O'Malley discovers a murder scene discovered in a flooded community, it is suspected that there may be a second victim. Things become worse when there is gunfire at a local school. Children are injured, children are dead, and what's so terrible is that the shooters were children. But the mystery begins when one of the bullets matches the one which had killed the victim in the flood. And that gun has disappeared. What is going on, how are the two cases connected? Rachel, Cole, and the O'Malley's must race to find the missing gun, before tragedy repeats...

Of all the books, I think that "The Healer" is one of the weakest in the series in that there isn't much of a mystery. I had already guessed much of the plot and most of the guesses were correct. But I must confess, this story is the most emotionally and spiritually touching of all the O'Malley books. From the aftermath of the shooting to Jennifer's sickness, there were moments where I felt like crying. Dee Henderson is a master at letting you get caught up into the story. The characters are likable, and I especially love Cole!

These are five books in the O'Malley Series in order, all highly recommended:
#1 "The Negotiator", Kate O'Malley's story. One of the best of the series.
#2 "The Guardian", Marcus O'Malley's story, the oldest of the O'Malleys. A great love story with an incredibly suspenseful plot!
#3 "The Truth Seeker", Lisa O'Malley's story, very suspenseful!
#4 "The Protector", Jack O'Malley's story, not as good as the previous three books yet still enjoyable.
#5 "The Healer", Rachel O'Malley's story.
#6 "The REscuer", Stephen O'Malley's story. One of the BEST books I've ever read!

Other books by Dee Henderson are:
"Danger in the Shadows", written before "The Negotiator" whose main character is the sister of Kate O'Malley's boyfriend, Sara and Walsh
#1 "True Devotion", the first in the Uncommon Heroes Series tells about the Navy SEALs.
#2 "True Valor", about Navy Pilot Gracie and Air Force Pararescuer Bruce.
#3 "True Honor", the best of the series so far with Navy SEAL Sam 'Cougar' Houston and CIA officer Darcy St. James.

I've read the entire O'Malley Series and Rachel is my favorite character in the "Family." I didn't find the storyline about the school shooting any less (or more, for that matter) plausible than the storylines in the previous five books. Dee designed these family members to be magnets for trouble. The read is much smoother if it's an accepted truth in the beginning rather than trying to hash it out as you go.

I found the situation with Rachel's sister, Jennifer, was very well handled. My mother was dying from cancer when I originally read this and I bawled, but in a good way, during her moments in the book. I'm now reading it again, especially Jennifer's parts, to gain insight into how my mother may have been feeling before her death. I also appreciated the fact that Rachel was already a Christian at the onset of this story, having to deal with a new faith during such trying times rather than explain why the character didn't believe through most of the read as happened in the other books. A refreshing change in my opinion.

Finally, I absolutely loved Rachel and Cole's relationship. Their first kiss had my hair standing on end. Very well written.

In all, this was a fantastic book. One I'm reading again, and will be passing on to friends.

The O'Malley's are a great example of how a family should be. They stick together through everything. "An O'Malley calls, an O'Malley comes". This motto is everywhere in this story. The series is written in order and should be read in order and don't miss the prequel, "Danger in the Shadows". You will fall in love with this family as well as their friends. If you haven't read any of the others this is not the one you should start with. The character and spiritual growth of the characters builds with each novel so it's best to start at the beginning! I love the entire series but this is the best of them all! I haven't cried over a book since I was in high school but this one had me reaching for tissue over and over. I can hardly wait for Stephen's story!

In my lifetime I have read thousands of books. I always look for books to scare me, inspire me, make me dream, and make me cry. I have never found a book that makes me do all of those things at one time until... The Healer.

I have read all of the other O'Malley books, including the prequal. This has been my favorite addition to the series. The books are written as a series and should be read like one. Each storyline builds off of the other books. In order to get the full effect and emotion of THE HEALER, you need to read them all. Ms. Henderson writes with passion and faith. The powerful messages this book has to offer are infinite and grand!

The romance between Rachel and Cole are what dreams are made of. The warmth and support they show each other during rough times is touching and real. Henderson makes the O'Malleys feel like real people. When they are hurting or happy, it is easy for the reader to feel the same emotion while turning the pages through tears of joy and pain.

THE HEALER is great! Read it...You won't be sorry.

If you haven't read the other books, you will need to read them first in order to fully appreciate this book. Rachel is the one you turn to when life deals you a hard blow. She is the go-to girl in a crisis, capable of sharing your pain and lightening your load. Just two questions, how much can she absorb before reaching her limit? And, who does the go-to girl turn to?

Once again, I find myself falling in love with each member of the O'Malley family and the friends that they have made along the way. Mrs. Henderson continues to show more and more of their past while painting such wonderful pictures of their future. I thoroughly enjoyed the men in Rachel's life.

I can't wait for Stephen's story! Enjoy!

I have been reading Henderson for over a year now and this book is by far the most emotional. I loved the way that she has been building up to this book. The others in the series introduce you to each character at a time and allow you to familiarize yourself with them. In The Rescuer, she brings all of the O'Malley's together and you can see the strength of their family.
If you haven't read the others in the series, READ THEM FIRST!
This story made me laugh and cry. I felt as if I was in the story and wanted to get to the end of the book without having to finish it. It made me want to read my Bible more and develop better relationships with my family.
I hope that everyone can enjoy this book. I felt it was more about the relationships than the crime being solved.
Wonderful story!! Thank you Dee Henderson!!!

As a fan of all her books, I was a bit let down with THE PROTECTOR but THE HEALER more than makes up for it. I want to know where to find heroes like Cole Parker, hurray for Beta Males!!!! This one felt like it was right off the front page of today's news but it was realistically handled creating both a comforting and heart warming conclusion. There will be some wonderful surprises, with laughs and tears along the way, but then loyal O'Malley readers have come to expect the most human of emotions from this unique family.

Rachel and Cole were surrounded in love with all the family present, which can make for crowded quarters at times, but Ms Henderson handled it with a deft hand as she kept the mystery, and relationship in equal servings before her readers. Although each book does stand alone, if you haven't real all the of the O'Malley's this is not the one to start with, the impact of the journey will be lost. I know the reader will just have to find out who Dave/Kate, Marcus/Shari, Quinn/Lisa, Tom/Jennifer are from their respective stories, so this may not be the one to start with. Yet, buy it now and read them in order so you will have it done just in time to find out where troubled Stephen has gone in her last of the series THE RESCUER.

Dee Henderson is the Queen of Inspirational romances and here's hoping more romance readers will discover her unique talent. Her characters are Christians with their journey in faith to grow with their God as part of the story, it is but a part of who they are. Her readers aren't preached at or brow beaten as is the case with many Christian writers, often leaving a bad taste in the mouth of those with who are non-Christian. Henderson's stories are what good Inspirational romances should be, but are so very often aren't.

Brava!!! Ms Henderson

I believe that this was the best novel that I have ever read. I really enjoyed reading this novel and I would happily read it again. This was one of the few novels that I have read that I couldn't out down for very long. This book made me laugh and cry. It also had a very meaningful meaning in the end. It made me realize that no matter what happens, somthing good will always come out of what went wrong. I also realized that anything can happen, good or bad,. It may not seem possible, but I now know that in just seconds you can lose someone you care about. As I said before, I really enjoyed this novel and I very highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves to read.

You'll laugh, you'll cry.

The O'Malley Family saga continues, but does not suffer from the usual sequel syndrome.

The series is best read in order, but each book can stand alone.

I am an avid reader and get my hands on just about any book I can. I have been reading every book in this series as soon as it comes out. Without the images that accompany a movie or television show, books usually don't get a grip on our emotions in the same way. The O'Malley books are an exception. I fell in love with the characters. If you get drawn into books the way I do, to the extent of being almost comatose, I would advise you to have tissues when you read this one. It was an excellent story and I cannot wait until I get my copy of The Rescuer (already pre-ordered).