Before I Wake

Shield of Honor #1

by Dee Henderson

Welcome to Justice--and good luck leaving alive. The sheriff of Justice, Illinois is not pleased when the new detective in town looks like she might be the next victim of a killer. Abridged. 6 CDs.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Romance, Mystery Thriller

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Dee Henderson is the author of 27 non-fiction and fiction titles, including Jesus our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus the Truth and the Life, The Good News Project, Taken and the acclaimed O’MALLEY series. Several titles have appeared on the USA Today Bestseller list; Full Disclosure has also appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list. For details visit: DeeHenderson.com

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm embarrassed to even admit that I read this book. I've liked Dee Henderson's books in the past, saw this one at the library, decided my tired brain needed a break and so checked it out. Thank goodness I didn't spend any money on it. I'm just going to tell you how it ends - IT DOESN'T. You don't find out who the murderer is and you don't find out which guy the girl is going to choose. So why did I waste my time reading over 300 pages of this? Good question. Don't waste your time on it too.

[Sally · Rating 1 out of 5]

How dare she do that?! I really feel that when you put the time in to read 300+ pages there should be a beginning, a middle and an end. This book had no closure, and I mean no closure. When I read a murder mystery, I think it makes sense to tell "whodunit" at the end. The characters were flat and stereotypical. I was supposed to think the main character, the woman (it's telling that I can't even remember her name)was so exceptional that two men would fall all over her. I didn't get that. She wasn't remarkable in any way. I thought the only saving part was a few plot twists that were actually clever. Can't say that I'll read any more of Henderson's book. If there's a sequel, I don't care to find out what happens to the characters.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do enjoy Dee Henderson's books but this one left me wanting... a lot more! The main plot was left unresolved and I could not really appreciate the main character, Rae. She left me hoping some new girl would move into town for Nathan to become interested in. Bruce just seemed rather wistful that he had let Rae go eleven years ago, but couldn't commit to reopening their relationship. She seemed to play both men for attention/affection. Not a great heroine. I was bothered by the dangling ending, like there should be a few more chapters, or a sequel, which I haven't found.

[Cathe Swanson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was so disappointing. The heroine was so boring that I'm surprised that either guy liked her, but they did, and it didn't seem to interest or bother her that she was stringing them both along. For some reason, Bruce seemed too old to be a love interest for her, so I fully expected her to develop a romance with the local man. As other reviewers have noted, there was no ending. Not even a little wrap-up that ended any of the mysteries. It doesn't need a sequel; it needs three more chapters.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I liked this book, it wasn't the best Dee Henderson novel that I've read. I liked the plot and overall found it to be suspenseful and detailed. As with other reviews though, I felt the conclusion was a little "open-ended." It's definitely set up for a sequel; however, Dee hasn't published a book in about 4 years...so here's hoping one is in the works.

The romance aspect of the story is lacking a bit and I found that very un-Henderson like. Rae's former boyfriend and new business parter, Bruce, expresses his interest in pursing a relationship again with her, but then there is Nathan who is also interested in her as well. Rae seems to like both guys, and there are subtle hints between her and both gusy, but nothing is ever draw out or concluded about that. Again maybe that would be in the sequel??

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok, so normally I am a HUGE fan of Dee Henderson, but this book was the most confusing introduction to a new series that I have ever read. I was THREE HOURS into the audiobook before I knew whether or not the Luke Granger or Sam Chapell referred to in The Witness were the same characters here. Actually, I'm still not sure about those since they mention another town rather than Silverton. Is Gage the same reporter from the O'Malley series? Who knows? Plus, the main character's name is Rae. Now, I KNOW that's not the same as Rachel O'Malley, but since Rae was her nickname and she knew Gage well, it was still confusing to me. If I hadn't read those other books first, I would have found the story interesting for the most part. I did feel that the ending left something to be desired too. I am more interested in a followup to The Witness than I am of this one.

[Kame · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because I love Irene Hannon's work and when you read the back of one of her thriller books it says if you like Dee Henderson you will like Irene Hannon - so I did some reverse logic.

If you read some of the reviews here on GoodReads there are alot of them complaining this book did not END. I maintain everything was wrapped up in a way that allows for a sequel if written or clean enough it can stand on its own. Please don't let it deter you - give it a try.

Rae is a newly retired FBI agent who needs a new start. She will work part-time for her uncles crime scene cleaning business and has called an old flame/friend to help her move and get as far away from DC as fast as she can.

Bruce and Rae were involved 11 years ago, but they wanted different things out of a career. Time, discovering faith and some life changing events make them each wonder where they are now. He still carries a picture of her in his wallet, and Rae called him when she needed help. Bruce has opened a PI firm and wants Rae to come work with him.

They come to Justice, IL. Nathan Justice is Sheriff, and his family founded the town. He and Bruce have started a friendship. He is trying to contain a situation in town where there is a union negotiation issue.

Soon the three of them are working together to solve three mysterious deaths - all ruled by the coroner as natural. However two of the three are young things don't add up. The first victim's parents hire Rae to find out if their daughter was murdered - and Rae gets too close to the answer Bruce and Nathan find out as they must break into her hotel room to save her life.

Great characters, great plot, great turns, a good faith message, thought provoking.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Title: Before I Wake
Author: Dee Henderson
Series: N/A
Format: hardcover
Length: 381 pages
Rating: 2 stars

Synopsis: The sheriff of Justice, Illinois, is hunting a killer. Women visiting town are being murdered, tourists in nice hotels, money still in their billfolds, jewelry still on the dresser. Quiet kills--they go to sleep and never awaken. The sheriff is not pleased to find the new detective in town, Rae Gabriella, working the case on behalf of one of the families. She's staying in the same hotel as one of the victims--and her looks suggest she could be the next victim.

Favourite character: Sillman
Least favourite character: N/A

Mini-review: What even was this? You don't find out the murder or who she chooses from the love triangle. Like honestly, this whole book is her flirting with these two guys and I remember thinking that if this were a secular fiction book, it would end up in some weird polyamorous relationship or something. Also Rae acts sometimes like she's a whiny teenager while Nathan and Bruce act like their in their 40s so it also has a slight Lolita feel. I gave this two stars strictly because I'm kind of obsessed with cops going through files and clues and notebooks over takeout and there was a lot of that in this book.

Fan Cast:
Rae Gabriella - Daniela Ruah
Bruce Chapel - Jon Bernthal
Nathan Justice - Chris Pratt
Gray Sillman - Topher Grace

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot intrigued me when I read the back of the book. Rae gets out of the FBI. Her ex talks her into working with him as a PI in a small town where her first case turns into something big when a couple of women die in their sleep.

But overall I couldn't get into the book it took me over a week to motivate myself to read it. It was very slow paced and lacked a highlight where they seemed to bring the case together. I don't know if this is suppose to have a sequel but overall I was a bit disappointed with everything. As far as the police investigation nothing was found everything was kind of blundered into. Then the love triangle forming...again nothing was resolved. For a book that moved so slow I expected a resolution and was let down.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second time I've read this book, but I forgot I didn't want to read it again :)
It was not up to par with the O'Malley series, a bit slower at times.
It ended with the bad guys not caught, the good guys up in the air about their futures...and I need things wrapped up nice and neatly to give a book more stars. It needed the sequel (which I would totally read...if she had written it).
Rumor has it that she had issues with her publisher and was prevented from publishing the sequel...

[Amanda Matthews · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️’s

I concur with every review of this book that I unfortunately read AFTER the book. You don’t find out who the murderer is. You don’t know who gets the girl. The book just…ends. Almost 400 pages! 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ Not a typical Dee Henderson read.

[Rachel Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh man. I want my time back. 🫥 The ending isn’t satisfying at all. The MFC is soooo boring.

[Ilzabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book till the end that's not really an end!

[Mamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really and truly was enjoying this book, even though it felt like it was dragging a bit. I patiently read on, reading though the second half in about 12 hours in my eagerness to see how Dee Henderson wrapped up the plot lines of the characters I'd come to care about. Imagine my dismay and horror when she neither cleared up "whodunit" (even though she'd continuously set people up) and even worse, never told us or even really suggested which guy the girl ends up with. I felt extremely dissatisfied at the end. It seemed like she could of and should of at least told the reader who the "bad guy" was (while still leaving the mystery unsolved for the characters) and also, *SPOILERS*

One of the Private Investigators has been holding onto a ring for 11 years. Let the dude get down on one knee instead of inviting his competition along with them to shop for a huge house for the woman (to live in alone) that he is trying to convince to marry him. Very, very confusing ending to say the least. Not Dee Hnederson's best work.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.2)

This book started out great but then just...fizzled. All the characters were well written and likable, but the plot was a different story.

There's basically no climax to this story. I have an idea what is supposed to be the climax, but it feels like it's just something to make the climax worthwhile. It's not very good. Killing the bad guy AND NOT HAVE US SEE IT? Not cool.

There's also the Obligatory Christian Discussion scene, and it's a little weird.

The one redeeming thing was that the love triangle that seemed to start never actually happened. Each dude acted like an adult and stayed in his lane and had enough respect for her and each other to not make a scene about it.

Recommended 13+ for violence, a serial killer, and drugs.

[Karijean31 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It kept my attention but it was disappointing in that Rae has a friend relationship with two guys and you know she's interested in both and they are both interested in her but there are no sparks and the story doesn't take the relationships anywhere. They are just all friends, no jealousy just solving the mystery together. Plus the book ends very abruptly and the bad guys escape and never get caught. I was looking for the sequel and there wasn't one.

[Emily Boyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m so disappointed by this book :| I usually like a good love triangle, but not the one in this book and def not when it’s unresolved. HOW CAN THE BOOK END LIKE THAT?? It was so abrupt: they didn’t catch the bad guys and she didn’t pick between Nathan and Bruce. It needs a sequel.

[Jeff Clausen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an unusual book, at least for me. For starters, the cover suggested an YA novel, but it’s not. It also resembled cover art for a romance, but even though it has aspects of romance between two characters, I don’t think it fits that genre. It might best fit the crime thriller genre, but with a twist, as there numerous religious discussions here and there, and crucially, no four-letter words. Put all this together and it was different enough to be interesting, and had plenty of crime drama to be engaging. I can see reading more about these folks, partly because I enjoyed not being jolted with F-bombs,and also because the ending was completely insufficient for a 300-some page story. No spoiler here by saying that it was a cliffhanger. “Leave ‘em wanting more!” surely was the author’s intention.

[sunshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh, it took a long for me to finish it because I am very distracted by other stuff. This book actually isn't that bad, there were some thrills and interesting part of it but there were moments where I'm just reading it blankly for it doesn't actually give that much for me or its because I'm not really interested into the crime investigation things, though I'll say the ending is quite an anti-climactic wish it had more to the story than just the town. And the characters, I don't even have a favorite, I don't know whats Bruce's purpose to the story I feel like it's more of Nathan's or Rae's, I didn't even get that much from Rae either. But I love their trio dynamic friendship and Nathan being the third wheel most of the time. Quite say i am 50/50 to the story, I love reading and I'm glad I read this story, I'd read more of this genre.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was decent. Someone had given it to me in a pile of books… lots of religious parts that I didn’t feel were necessary to the plot. Don’t like that it ended without resolving the whodunnit and it was written in 2006 so there’s no conclusion to it?

[Babetta · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've enjoyed this author before. I enjoyed this book overall, until it failed to reach any conclusions. That made me feel like I wasted my time. Others mentioned a set-up for a sequel, a sequel that I can't seem to locate. Without conclusions, this book failed to deliver.

[Lennese Hepburn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wtf did I just read???? I read 396 pages and still don't know who the killer is!!! What a waste of time.

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery. Enjoyed a lot!

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally like Dee Henderson's writing. I am not sure if it was the story or the narrator of the audiobook, but everything felt so blase'. There was no excitement or anticipation. Even the ending just felt tiring.

[Joy Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book is making me not want to eat chocolate😀

[Tamara]

I am very glad that Before I Wake wasn't my first book by Dee Henderson because I don't know if I would've ever read another book by her. I found Before I Wake to drag at a very slow pace, but I kept with it because I kept hoping that all the characters, the strike at the Tile plant, all the dialogue that seemed empty would somehow make for a good ending. Well, it kind of did but in my humble opinion, it never quite hit the mark for me. Oh, well onto better reads!

[Joyce Ziebell · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read a Dee Henderson book, and I did like this one however it seemed a bit slow. I felt like I was sitting on stakeout for hours in many of the earlier chapters. Though the story did ramp up more towards the ending. I do like the Christian beliefs expressed by the characters.

And of course it does seem that there's likely another book following this storyline since not all involved in the crimes were apprehended.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, I was warned that a certain thing at the end was rather frustrating, but although my rating is low it isn't because of that. There was nothing wrong, wrong, and some it might be more my personal preference....

What I liked:

-Mystery's ARE fascinating. And this one was at times :)
-I did rather like Bruce and Nate and their care for Rae (LOVE that name :)).
-I liked how little of romance there was. I mean...and this is a shock, I could have actually used some more :D

What I didn't like:
-I don't want to moan and complain how unlike this book was like Henderson's previous ones were, but it definitely wasn't as good. The first 100 pages I really struggled with. I could hardly concentrate on the words. There is way too much talking and no substance. I needed more description and something to add to the story.
-The characters took me awhile to like. And sometimes I felt like the minor ones weren't explained enough...like there was a book before this one or something (which I don't think there is).
-The Christianity was hardly even in there. There were two in depth conversations that were good, a couple mentions of church, and a few times the characters prayed for help, but it was all rather sporadic. You didn't feel like they had a close relationship with God. And both times the characters planned to go to church something happened and they didn't. That frustrated me for some reason.
-I was BORED, really bored with all the strike stuff. Sometimes my eyelids were getting droopy (which might have to do that I was really tired :)).
-The ending was slightly lacking, but I wasn't too frustrated. It was more accurate with life (you can't always get everything sorted with a crime).

So yeah, I think part of why I struggled with this is book is that I'm just not in the contemporary, mystery mood right now. But even if I had been I don't think I would have liked it that much more.

If you want to read Dee Henderson go read her O'Malley series :) That will NOT disappoint!

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was pretty interesting. Rae's quit the FBI after an undercover case went very badly. She's returning home to work with a friend and former cop, Bruce, in his private investigation business in the town of Justice. The sheriff, Nathan Justice, is having a bad few weeks. There's a strike going on at one of the bigger companies in town. Things are going from bad to worse as the two sides can't come to terms. And three women are found dead in their beds. Rae and Bruce help out as Nathan struggles to keep people safe and solve the mystery. Everything's connected and it all comes to a head.

I like the main characters and want to see more of what happens. There's definitely a love triangle formed here, which adds tension to the story line. I don't know if Henderson has written a sequel, but it lends itself to serialization.

I had a lot of trouble with the lack of speaker attributions. I'm not sure if there was a single "he said" in the entire book. The point-of-view was not sufficiently any one character so that when someone said something and then "Bruce shrugged," I wasn't sure if Bruce was the one speaking or was simply being observed by the person who had just spoken. I had to go back and count turns to figure out who was talking. And sometimes the dialogue went on long enough to become another paragraph. Half the time, I thought someone else was talking and then I'd catch on. This really threw me out of the story when it happened.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rae Gabriella leaves the FBI after her last undercover investigation goes wrong and agrees to work with her ex-boyfriend, Bruce, in his private investigater's office in the small town of Justice. Once there she meets Sherriff Nathan Justice and the story goes from there...

I didn't quite know what to make of this story, Rae seems to be building a romantic relationship with both Nathan and Bruce while getting involved in everything that is going on with the police department.

Both Bruce and Nathan act like she is the most awesome person in the world and the best investigator in the world but I didn't see that about her at all and I didn't see where she helped any of the investigations that she nosed into greatly. This book ended with no real ending to any of the crimes, none of the cases they "closed" were actually closed with an arrest or even a clear who done it person.

I usually really like Dee Henderson's books but this one just didn't flow for me.