This post has been a long time coming. It’s also never going to be able to hold all my love for Dee Henderson’s O’Malley Series. But I’m sure as heck going to try my best to convey it.
The O’Malley Series includes seven suspense novels. Though I’m still plugging away at book four, The Truth Seeker, I can say with absolute certainty that this is one of my favorite stories of all time. Full of down-to-earth characters with crazy-amazing jobs, gasp-worthy plot lines and poignant character development, these books are so much more than the sum of their parts. And let’s not forget the award-winning romance because holy wow, it is beautiful.
Not pictured: book seven, The Rescuer
Sara and Adam taught me that perfect love casts out fear. Kate and Dave showed me the balance between justice and mercy. Marcus and Shari reminded me of the power of faith. And Lisa and Quinn… omg, they are life. Please excuse me while I obsess over how perfectly imperfect these people are. All the heart eyes.
Sooooo, I’m an O’Malley addict (clearly). But just in case you’re not convinced of the must-read nature of this series, I’ve come up with three undeniable reasons to fall in love with this family.
1. The O’Malleys chose each other.
The O’Malleys aren’t your typical siblings. They’re actually a group of seven orphans who, after being released from the foster care system at 18, legally changed their last names to become their own family. In their 20 years together, they’ve battled each other’s demons as well as their own. But they still show up for each other at the drop of a hat… or the emergency pager alert. They play basketball like it’s a fight to the death, and their inside jokes are so relatable, it hurts.
“I notice, despite all the aspersions to my cooking, that you are still asking me to man the grill.”
“Jack, you know Stephen will be out there to give you advice as soon as he sees the match in your hand.”
“Just because we don’t let you play around with the fire–”
[Kate] swatted his arm. “Go on.” Jack laughed and moved toward the patio. “Stephen, Jack is going for the matches.”
Stephen strode across te room, angling after Jack. “I’m on him. There is no way I am letting him burn my steak.” – The Negotiator
2. They protect each other.
Physically and emotionally. Under no circumstances do you want to hurt one of the O’Malley gals because the guys will chew you up and spit you out with rehearsed proficiency. But don’t take that to mean that the girls can’t take care of themselves; Kate, Lisa, Rachel and Jennifer are straight-up firecrackers and are known to bail the guys out of trouble. Maybe it simply comes with working for the FBI/U.S. Marshals/fire department, but something tells me that these characters are plenty capable of finding misadventure on their own. Thankfully, they’re never in it alone.
“Forget it, Sherlock; I’m still going to start vetting the guys in your life again.”
“Kevin was a mistake, okay? I learned my lesson.”
Marcus reached back and tweaked [Lisa’s] foot. “Stephen stood there and watched Kevin’s nose bleed after Jack slugged him. I was so proud of him. He asked about Jack’s hand before he dealt with Kevin’s broken nose.” – The Truth Seeker
3. They push each other to grow… respectfully.
Above all else, the O’Malleys love and respect each other. With such different backgrounds and trauma, it can be hard to voice every concern and suggestion, but these characters are refreshingly open-minded. And when they can’t be, the others are careful not to cross any boundaries.
“[Lisa] trusts you, Kate. Even if you wonder about it, I’ve watched her, listened to her. She waits to see what you think before she makes major decisions. You really matter. You’ve stuck for twenty years. That’s the best healing you could have given her. She loves you, even if she finds the words hard to say.” – Quinn, The Truth Seeker
That’s true love, friends.
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