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The Guardian  By  cover art

The Guardian

By: Dee Henderson
Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
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Publisher's summary

Dee Henderson is one of today's most popular inspirational novelists. She fills each work with tightly woven suspense and touching struggles of faith. Henderson has received many awards, including the RITA, National Reader's Choice Award, and Bookseller's Best Award. The Guardian is a Christy Award winner.

Just before he is nominated for a seat on the Supreme Court, a controversial judge is murdered. His speechwriter, Shari Hanford, surprises the assassin in the act and sees his face before he flees. Now U.S. Marshal Marcus O'Malley is assigned to protect Shari while police conduct a widespread manhunt.

As O'Malley draws close to the beautiful young woman, both know she is the target of someone who will stop at nothing to eliminate her. This challenge demands all O'Malley's resources, and it will also force him to examine his faith and his heart. Narrator Tom Stechschulte provides a moving performance, highlighting each spiritual conflict and conviction.

©2001 Dee Henderson (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"An entertaining thriller-cum-romance-cum-conversion story is what readers get in this fast-paced novel....Christian readers will relish this intriguing tale." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Guardian

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent story and narration.

I love all of Dee Henderson's books. Tom Stechschulte is a great narrator. I love the storyline of the O'Malley family. This book is full of suspense, mystery, sadness, happiness, and love. Thank you Dee Henderson for keeping your books free from profanity and sex.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Sorry, too mushy.

So I thought I would give Christian fiction a try and I must say that I was disappointed. The story sounded exciting enough, but I feel there was far too much of the mushy love story development and therefore the it moved very slowly. The basis for the story is great; after listening to it there is absolutely no doubt that the love element of the story took precedence over the murder story in the author's mind. Sorry, maybe I'm just being a guy; I had even turned it off for a few days and then finally broke down and gave it another chance.

Maybe someone who normally prefers love stories will like this one, others beware...

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This story kept my attention from the start to the end.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of the characters in the book were wonderful but my favorites would be Marcus and Shari. Marcus trying to keep Shari alive from a hit man was great. The fact that the two fall in love and that Marcus found God made the book exceptional.

What about Tom Stechschulte’s performance did you like?

Tom Stechsculte narrated the book great. The characters were very distinguished.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

With the busy life I live, it is hard to sit and relax with a book, but this book I did just that. I would wake at night and listen to it until it was finished.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this book to everyone I know, but especially those that struggle with Jesus not helping them when they thought he should.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Love the narrator!!!

All of the books in this series are pretty good. There is a good mixture of action and relationships. With each book, I grew to like and almost care for, the characters more and more. I think the narrator, Tom Stechschulte is my favorite part though. He has such a deep, distinct voice. I have listened to almost every book he has read. I'm listening to another book by Dee Henderson right now, but with a different narrator. It's just not the same.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a series to remember...

The whole series is fantastic...The Negotiator, The Guardian, The Truth Seeker,
The protector, The Healer and finally The Rescuer....enjoyable, easily read and full of
love and inspiration... YOu will enjoy this series...
Hats off to Dee Henderson...wish she had more books written about this family...

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Super great book is second one in O'Malley series.

If you could sum up The Guardian in three words, what would they be?

Suspenseful, hopeful, & entertaining.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Marcus O'Malley. Strong, caring character for his family and anyone who is in his charge. He works his way through his pain from his childhood experience to find his faith once again.

Have you listened to any of Tom Stechschulte’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. This performance was as good as the one for The Negotiator. Once again his voice and diction are very clear to understand, and his different accents for each character make the story easy to follow.

If you could rename The Guardian, what would you call it?

I would not change the name. The Guardian is the perfect discription of the main characters function in the story and his type of character.

Any additional comments?

Dee Henderson has made an exciting wonderful faith building series with her O'Malley series books.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

love the O'Malley stories

Would you listen to The Guardian again? Why?

I like the story and it relaxes me.

Who was your favorite character and why?

O'Malley family They seem like a family that is real

What does Tom Stechschulte bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Being able to listen instead of read

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Christian entertainment

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Captured my imagination

Relationships with action; I couldn't wait for the next part or book to continue the story.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Dee Henderson lives up to her reputation

Where does The Guardian rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Once again, enjoyed this book immensly. Tom Stechschulte does a suberb job catching the feel of the characters. I appreciate when a series has the same narrator to carry through with the voices of the characters. Dee Henderson brings the O'Malley family and their unique relationship and interesting careers to life, but does not skip over or sugar coat the hard questions. I love how she illustrates the issue that both unbelievers and "20 year believers" have with reguards to why God allows bad things to happen to good people.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I guess it was okay...

STORY - (inspirational romance/suspense) The Guardian is Book 2 in The O'Malley series, and I must say I was disappointed. I do not normally read inspirational books, but I enjoy them if they're not too preachy and have a good story. I listened to Book 1 in this series, The Negotiator, and really liked it. It had religious undertones but they weren't overpowering, and the plot was excellent. This book, The Guardian, is just the opposite -- mediocre plot and the characters talk about their beliefs a lot.

Otherwise, it's the story of a U.S. Marshall (Marcus) who must protect a witness to a murder (Sherry) and also try to find the murderer before he can kill Sherry. During their time together they begin a relationship, and Sherry tries to turn Marcus back towards a God he has rejected. The book is very "clean" - not much violence, no cursing, alcohol or sexual references. Lots of emphasis on family relationships.

PERFORMANCE - Narrator does a good job, but for some reason I don't really care for his voice.

OVERALL - If you like inspirational books, you will probably enjoy this. It's not my favorite genre, so I suppose therein lies my problem.

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2 people found this helpful