I knew I was going out on a limb when I decided to read this seventh in a series book without ever having read any of the previous six. That being said, I did enjoy this one. To me it does fine as a stand-alone. The character development is there, the characters are well fleshed out, and past events are described with enough detail to make you feel you haven't missed anything. Of course with any series there is a progression to the characters that you benefit from starting at the beginning with but like I said I did just fine with it and don't feel like it affected my enjoyment of the story.
Tracy Crosswhite her husband Dan and their new daughter Daniella move back to her childhood hometown while their house is being renovated. Although on maternity leave Tracy is soon caught up in a twenty year old mystery that a new death has brought to the surface. Dan in the meantime has been hired as a lawyer to represent a client in a case that involves looking into the workings of a downtown revitalization project in which shop owners may have been swindled out of their properties by the town leaders.
The author does a masterful job at developing the two plots simultaneously and bringing it all together with an exciting reveal and conclusion. The writing is concise, quick and easy and I liked the pacing of the book as I never felt like needing to "just get on with it" when it came to building the suspense. Although there is the aha moment all the clues are there throughout the story that make you say "of course" when the mystery is solved.
What I didn't like was enjoying it so much that I feel like I need to go and start from the beginning of the series now... *Wink*

As I have mentioned in earlier reviews of Robert Dugoni’s books, I first “met” Seattle Homicide Detective Tracy Crosswhite in My Sister’s Grave and I loved her, so I then eagerly read Her Final Breath. Following along in short order (he definitely can crank out books at a fast clip) were In the Clearing, The Trapped Girl, Close to Home and A Steep Price (all of which I reviewed on littorallibrarian.org). I enjoyed them all, particularly the way Dugoni makes his characters REAL, somehow writing a female perspective incredibly well. So I was pleased to receive a copy of #7 in the Tracy Crosswhite series, A Cold Trail, from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite has returned to her hometown of Cedar Grove, where she grew up and where she returned a few years ago to see her sister’s killer put behind bars. She and her husband Dan, and their new daughter, Daniella, are staying temporarily in Dan’s house, and getting reacquainted with The town and the people.

Cedar Grove has declined, and the powers that be in the city have been working to revitalize the downtown…and not all the local businesses are happy with the “progress.” Dan and Tracy are both drawn into working, despite their plan to lay low: Dan is representing a local merchant who is not thrilled with the revitalization, and Tracy is roped into investigating the brutal death of a police officer’s wife and local reporter who had been investigating a murder. As their cases crisscross, events from Tracy’s past and a decades-old conspiracy get tangled up, and as usual, she generates some excitement getting things straightened out. It’s another solid entry in Dugoni’s terrific series. Four stars.

I love this series! Tracy Crosswhite feels like a neighbor someone I know because I have watched her evolve in this series. I think Robert Dugoni hit this one out of the park. We have the awesome procedural, mystery, suspense, thriller wrapped in family, marriage and emotions running the gambit. The blurb tells you about the book, but the writing makes you feel. Thank you Robert Dugoni, Thomas and Mercy, NetGalley for the opportunity to read book 7 in the Tracy Crosswhite series. I freely volunteer to share my thoughts an opinions, unasked for :)

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Robert Dugoni for the opportunity to read the latest installment in his Tracy Crosswhite series - another 5 star chapter in this wonderful series! You could easily read this as a stand alone but it's of course much better to be able to understand all the back stories of the characters.

Seattle Homicide Detective Tracy Crosswhite and her attorney husband, Dan, are back in the town they grew up, living in Dan's parents' old home and taking a break to relax and spend time with their newborn daughter. But it doesn't take long before Tracy is pulled back into investigating the murder of a police officer's wife, a journalist who was looking into a cold case murder. Dan, meanwhile, is taking on the case of a local businessman who is trying to be forced into selling his business to the town. But is all this stirring up things that might threaten their own family?

These are such good characters and Dugoni's writing keeps you glued to the pages and involved in the story. The setting of rural upper Washington in the winter helped set the scene of this cold case perfectly. As always, highly recommended.

#7 in series #9 overall.
Start this series you won't be disappointed!
I really like that we got to see a bit more of Dan in this story. Tracy is still a bad-ass but I like that the stories crossed paths and we got a little bit of both.
It's one of those books that you want to know how it's going to end but don't want it to end!

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really hope we get another one!

Description.
The last time homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite was in Cedar Grove, it was to see her sister’s killer put behind bars. Now she’s returned for a respite and the chance to put her life back in order for herself, her attorney husband, Dan, and their new daughter. But tragic memories soon prove impossible to escape.

Dan is drawn into representing a local merchant whose business is jeopardized by the town’s revitalization. And Tracy is urged by the local PD to put her own skills to work on a new case: the brutal murder of a police officer’s wife and local reporter who was investigating a cold-case slaying of a young woman. As Tracy’s and Dan’s cases crisscross, Tracy’s trail becomes dangerous. It’s stirring up her own haunted past and a decades-old conspiracy in Cedar Grove that has erupted in murder. Getting to the truth is all that matters. But what’s Tracy willing to risk as a killer gets closer to her and threatens everyone she loves?

First book I read in this series and won't surely be the last.
It's a well plotted and gripping mystery that kept me hooked till the last page.
I liked the setting, the solid mystery, and the interesting cast of characters.
Can't wait to read the next instalment in this series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Tracy and Dan are back in their hometown of Cedar Grove, Washington, after the birth of their daughter. While Dan is working from home and commuting to Seattle when necessary, Tracy is going stir crazy looking at the snow covered town. So when the local police chief asks for her help she has no hesitation in jumping in. The case, or cases, she looks into start to weave together into conspiracy and cover up going back twenty six years, and Tracy, having known the people involved all her life, finds that secrets don't come to light without consequences, putting her, and her young daughter, into the path of a killer.

Another wonderful book in the Tracy Crosswhite series, Robert Dugoni has another winner on his hands here. Wonderful characters, realistic settings, and a plot you can't put down, this book has it all. I highly recommend this series to all lovers of crime, mysteries, and police procedurals.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite and her husband authors Dan Crosswhite have returned to their vacation home in their home town while there current home is being renovated. After the murder of Tracy’s sister and another young women their image of Cedar Grove is no long a positive one. When tragedy strikes Tracy realizes she can not let the past be the past. With the town undergoing a revitalization project Dan decided while they are there he will help represent who’s business the town is trying to force to close. While they are each working on their own cases Dan and Tracy’s paths become crossed in an unexpected way but them both in danger.

This is my first Dugoni book and IT WAS GOOD!! This book is very well written and I connected to the characters right away. This is truly a thriller that had me flipping the pages!

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercher for my copy of A scope Trail! Out 2/4/2020

Tracy returns to Cedar Grove while her and Dan's house is being remodeled and expanded to fit their expanding family. While there, and on maternity leave, she is asked to look into a series of possibly related murders. So many things struck me as odd in this book: 1) there is no way I had enough energy when my child was 2 months old to do all that investigating. Does a nanny make that much of a difference? 2) the nanny offered the baby food at 2 months. I know things change from generation to generation, but 2 month old babies can't eat food. 3) Tracy was supposedly breastfeeding but was eating a seriously garlicy spaghetti sauce. That is a no-no since the garlic with negatively impact the taste of the breast milk. But, these little issues didn't impact my overall enjoyment of the story (just things I wish someone had pointed out to Mr. Dugoni). I still craved spaghetti by the end of it and still wondered how Tracy could do everything. I also enjoyed how Tracy and Dan's relationship continues to evolve. Mr. Dugoni does a terrific job of delving into the characters in his books. And finally, I had my hopes on who the villian was and was very excited to be right. I can't explain why or I would give the ending away. But it was good and I was glad!

Another solid Tracy read, story-wise. I like seeing Dugoni address working mothers/gender differentials of working parents as well. Can't wait for the next in the series already.

Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I admit to being a fan of this series and I do, regrettably, think this is best appreciated if you've read at least one of the preceding books if only so that you can see how Tracey's life has changed (and improved over time). An ace homicide detective who has dealt with family tragedy (the death of her sister) and difficulties at her job, she's now a new mom who is coping with- wait for it- renovations. Don't worry, that's not the point but they are enough to make her move back to Cedar Grove, with all its bad juju, along with her husband Dan and their daughter Daniella. She agrees to take on a cold case involving the last sheriff's wife and then, well, as these things go, it all gets busy. Dan's an attorney and he too finds himself in a rats nest. Enough said but know that the threads pull together, that these two make a good pair, and hopefully it won't be long before the next in the series. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A couple of years ago, Robert Dugoni became one of my favorite authors, in particular, because of his Tracy Crosswhite series which the present book is part of. That being said the previous volume seemed weaker than the previous one, Tracy not being as resolute and focused as in the earlier volumes, transitioning from hard-boiled detective to a confused person who seems to be unaware when stepping into danger.
Some of that is still plaguing the present book but it seems like a stronger story and more alert Tracy, who in this book is back in her hometown and gets pulled into investigating two possibly related murders that happened more than a decade apart. This time with the assistance of several characters that fans of the series will recognize.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am looking forward to more tales of Tracy Crosswhite, hopefully soon back in Seattle with some big city crime.

As with all the Robert Dugoni novels that I have read, A COLD TRAIL engages its audience from page one as he takes us back to the Pacific Northwest and into the life of Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite. Tracy has temporarily returned to her home town of Cedar Grove along with her infant daughter and husband Dan (a lawyer who is also a Cedar Grove alum currently involved in litigation against the town mayor and a group of investors whose methods, he suspects, are not quite on the up and up ).

Asked by the acting police chief to look into the arson murder of the current chiefs wife Tracy suddenly finds herself immersed in three different unsolved cases (one going back over twenty five years) and all seemingly connected.

Liberally peppered with equal parts of love, greed, gossip, revenge, and jealousy the narrative is addictive proving Dugoni is a superior stylist and a master spinner of strong, artfully designed plots and excellent dialogue. His writing is descriptive in its sense of place and filled with memorable observations and indelible characters locking readers in who-dunnit guessing game in which ghosts of the past continue to affect the present resulting in an unexpected conclusion.

Another excellent installment in one of my favorite series. Tracy is now a new mom, living temporarily back in Cedar Grove while she and Dan remodel their home during her maternity leave. Now, I'd read about Tracy being a stay-at-home mom because she'd probably be great at potty training but, being one of the best female cops in fiction, she has to get involved in a case. A cold one. A young girl who was murdered around the same time as Tracy's sister disappeared. Dan is also working in Cedar Grove and his case involves a lot of the same suspects as Tracy's. But how do they tie together? Dugoni makes a courtroom scene as suspenseful as a police chase and the action doesn't let up. Some recurring characters get center stage here, although I missed Tracy's usual team (only one of them makes an appearance here). I already need to know what happens next.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer!

A Cold Trail will keep you turning the pages to unravel this story. The characters will keep you wondering who is the good guys and who are the bad guys. Lots of twists that will keep you guessing. You'll enjoy this one.

This is the next book in the Tracy Crosswaite series. She now has a baby and is on leave. Will she or won’t she return to being a cop? Here she delves into a mystery that happened around the time of her sisters disappearance. Another missing young girl and then a few recent murders. Are they related? Overall a solid police procedural and addition to this series.

I was given a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I received an ARC of A Cold Trail in exchange for an honest review. I had read at least one book by Robert Dugoni before on the recommendation of my brother and enjoyed those books. Every time I would see a book by him I would tell myself I needed to read another of his books. So when I saw this book offered by NetGalley it seemed like a good choice for me. I did not realize this book was part of a series, although a little research would have easily let me know that. While this is not necessarily a stand alone book, you could easily read and know what's going on without having read any of the other books in the series. There were several mentions of another case from the first book but it didn't make you feel confused, more like everyone else had been to an event that you hadn't.
At the beginning of the book, when introducing the characters, I had to go back and re-read a little bit to keep everyone straight, but that was probably more me than the book. Several of the characters, who were couples, had different last names and so that threw me off. That and maybe I just started this book too late at night.
The book is a combination of mystery and some courtroom drama. This was not an edge of your seat, can't wait to get back to it book for me, but was still a very good read. The additional conflict of Tracy as she is struggling as a new mom of whether to continue in the profession she loves or to give up her career for motherhood added to the story.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Robert Dugoni and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Returning for another instalment of this series, I turn to Robert Dugoni and hope that the quality remains high and the plot twists plentiful. I was not disappointed with this novel, which returns to some roots and provides a core storyline that many series fans will surely enjoy. Tracy Crosswhite is on the mend, with a newborn and an energetic husband. As they renovate the home Dan’s parents once owned, Tracy is back in Cedar Grove, alongside all the memories of her youth. When a house fire kills a local journalist, the town is abuzz with the news, though it is something she was working on that has Tracy more than interested. New revelations about a case from two decades before have come to life, casting doubt that a young woman’s death was at the hands of the same serial killer who murdered Tracy’s sister. The local police are happy to let Tracy use her Seattle skills to help uncover the truth, though she remains uncertain if she wants to thrust herself into the path of danger yet again. When Tracy sees the ME’s report, she is left to wonder if a new batch of suspects might have had motive to kill. Now, all those who have seen the report are dying, likely not from the natural causes to which things have been attributed. Meanwhile, Dan has been doing some legal work in town, helping a store owner negotiate with the town council about buying his property. The council lawyer seems to be pushing hard to offer a settlement, but Dan cannot be entirely sure if there is more to the story. When someone targets Tracy at the house while Dan is away, everything becomes a little more real and the fragile balance of work and home life come crashing together. Might both Tracy and Dan have taken on more than they can chew in Cedar Grove? Another great piece in the series that has me devouring the story and hoping for more. Recommended to series fans who need a little Tracy Crosswhite fix, as well as the reader who loves a small-town mystery with big-city thrills.

I have loved this series since I first got my hands on it and this book has not disappointed whatsoever. Dugoni has a great handle on the characters, plot, and development, even as he juggles a few writing commitments at this time. Returning to Cedar Grove is surely tough for Tracy Crosswhite, where the memories of her childhood linger and knowledge that her sister’s murder two decade before remains on the minds of everyone she sees. Tracy is forced to face many of these fears and the people she knew growing up, though she sees many of them in a new light. Her struggles with that are balanced with the unknowns around being a new mother and trying to do what is best for her daughter. Throughout, the reader can see the pull of both worlds, as well as Tracy trying to define how her life as a detective might be permanently changed, what with a little one who depends on her. This is nicely offset with her husband, Dan, who has some of the same issues, but more that Tracy is thrusting herself into danger. He struggles to determine if he should and can be that protector for his family, while also keeping up a legal practice. Introspection for both characters enriches the story immensely. There are a handful of others who grace the pages and add depth to an already jam-packed story, keeping the reader attentive to all the clues and possible motives that lurk behind every corner. Dugoni does well to bring the story ‘home’ in a sense, allowing Crosswhite and the others to focus on the small picture, which is actually part of the larger one (if that makes sense). With a mix of short chapters that propel the reader forward and longer ones that set the stage for more excitement, this novel is one that can be tackled in short order, as the pages melt away. A legal thriller and police procedural rolled into one, this is one of Dugoni’s best in the series.

Kudos, Mr. Dugoni, for another stellar piece of work. I am so very excited to see how well things are going and cannot wait to see where you take your readers next.

In just the same way that the TV franchise Law and Order has broad, enduring appeal, Robert Dugoni's books - especially the Tracy Crosswhite series -- give readers a look at two sides of the same crimes. In this book, Tracy offers the law enforcement perspective and her husband, Dan (a lawyer), delivers the finer points of courtroom tactics.

Another dichotomy in this story is today's woman's most common struggle: How do I balance career and family life? Tracy and Dan have gone back to their hometown, where Dan has a client going up against the city government. Tracy is on maternity leave with a two-month-old daughter. An intriguing case comes her way, though, and she see-saws between guilt and restlessness as she tries to reconcile the mom-and-detective sides of her nature.

Dugoni's writing is deceptively simple, always smart, and well-thought-out. His stories work (after all, he's a lawyer himself). I can strongly recommend every one of his books -- this series, along with the David Sloane stories, and the standalone novels as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance readers copy.

Seattle Violent Crimes Detective Tracy Crosswhite is on maternity leave after the birth of her daughter. While in her home town of Cedar Grove she is asked, by the police chief, to assist in the murder investigation of a local female reporter. Does her death have anything to do with the murder of a teen from twenty years ago? While Tracy is investigating, her attorney husband Dan’s client is protesting the city’s attempts to force him out of business. The case becomes more prominent when it is discovered that the reporter was investigating the recent sale of the other main street businesses by city officials. An exciting and intricate mystery with a tough female detective. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)