In book #5 of the O’Malley series by Dee Henderson, we learn about Rachel, who works as a trauma psychologist for the Red Cross. Heavy rains have turned the Des Plaines River into a monster, taking over Chicago and turning the streets into fast-swirling gushes. Homes are being evacuated and parents, as well as their children, are scared.
Rachel has been helping in the shelter all day. Her job is to see to it that every person there is comforted in some way, gets some hope and can see their way clear toward building a future. Her brother Jack’s boss, Cole, is on the scene to help with the clean-up, and Rachel feels sure he’s someone she can count on to help with her task.
Nearby, Rachel’s sister Lisa, the forensic pathologist, has been called in to see a dead body in one of the houses that is quickly filling up with water. With most of the evidence from the crime scene washed away, she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to identify the murderer, but she grabs everything she can and vows to do her best.
But Rachel can’t stay in Chicago long. Her sister Jennifer is dying of cancer, and Rachel strongly feels that she needs to go be with her. After making sure that the children from the flood are well provided for, Rachel hops a plane back east, taking with her a present Jennifer sent in the mail and asked her to open on the plane.
It’s the journal Jennifer kept that first year in Trevor House, when they were all orphans, trying to find their place in the world. The O’Malleys took Jennifer in just like they had the others, and they now numbered seven. Rachel recalls those days when they were first getting to know Jennifer, and how they came to pick the name O’Malley for their unconventional family.
When Rachel reaches Jennifer’s side, she’s shocked to discover how sick Jennifer really is, and she begins to question the meaning behind it all. Rachel has only been a Christian for a short time, and hasn’t had time to learn about trials and suffering, and their part in God’s plan. Confused and unsure, she turns to Cole, and together they face some of life’s hardest questions. They also face a terrifying reality – one of the children at a nearby school has a gun, and someone has been killed.
Don’t miss this exciting installment of the O’Malley series by Dee Henderson.
(This book was published by Multnomah in 2002.)
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Previously reviewed books in the O’Malley series:
Prequel: Danger in the Shadows
#2. The Guardian
#3. The Truth Seeker