I will never turn down Robert Dugoni or his books especially my girl Tracy! Thank you NetGalley for this early look! We start this book 5 years in the past with Elle and her dad Brian going to a corn maze. Brian and his soon to be ex wife Jewel have a very toxic relationship and Brian just wants Elle to enjoy her time with him, of course one thing after another goes wrong ending in Elles disappearance. Fast forward 5 years almost to the day and Tracy gets back to work after administration leave from her last case dropping her out of her team and into the cold case unit. Tracy needs to figure out how to juggle her job with being a new mom and PTSD.. Tracy isn’t exactly pleased with it but she knows that she’s the person that can breath life and hopefully closure to these cases, especially when there are echoes of her own past with her sisters disappearance and Tracy’s unstoppable pursuit in finding out what happened to her. She pulls out Elles files and two others when her partner Kins asks her to help with his current missing person case. In another masterpiece Dugoni weaves the past and present expertly and throws curve ball after curve ball into this fantastic mystery.

Best selling author Robert Dugoni has another hit with In Her Tracks, the eighth in the compelling Tracy Crosswaite series.

Assigned to the Cold Case Unit after a medical leave, Tracy begins the long process of reinterviewing everyone connected with the Elle Chin case. The five year old vanished from a corn maze five years ago. Both parents blame each other but there is no evidence that either was involved. Meanwhile, her former partner Kinsington asks for her help with a current case. A young woman out for a quick run has disappeared. Tracy and Kins know they don’t have much time to find her alive. Once again, as Tracy works the two cases, she is haunted by the disappearance and death of her own sister.

This fast paced thriller is impossible to put down. The plot is full of twists and turns and leads to a surprising and shocking conclusion. It is also thought provoking as Dugoni shows the difference in the handling of missing persons cases. A runner who disappears gets immediate attention from the police while missing prostitutes do not. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Robert Dugoni for this ARC.

Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite series is fast becoming one of my favourite crime series. It perfectly mixes smart police procedural with the personal growth of its main character, Tracy Crosswhite.

Tracy has come a long way since the disappearance of her younger sister, Sarah drove her to join the Seattle police department and devote her life to finding Sarah and hunting down killers. Now married with a young daughter, she is returning to work after maternity leave and recovering from PTSD brought on by her last case. However, on her first day back she discovers her position in Violent Crimes has been filled and that she is instead asked to take over the cold cases section. Reluctantly agreeing to give it a try, she picks out cases involving two missing prostitutes and an abducted five year old girl. Not long after starting to look into them, her ex partner Kins asks her to help him with a missing person case when Violent Crimes is short of detectives. A young woman has disappeared from a jogging trail and needs to be found fast if she is still alive.

Although the reader knows what has happened to the young woman, following Tracy and Kins as they work the investigation and put the clues together makes for engrossing reading. Tracy is learning to juggle her life/work balance while working her cold cases at the same time, particularly that of the abducted child which, as a new mother, pulls at her heart strings. The pace of the novel is perfect and there is plenty of tension and some great twists as Tracy and Kins zone in on the abductor of the missing woman. An excellent thriller, best read as part of the series, but could also be read as a stand alone with sufficient background to Tracy's story provided.

Tracey Crosswhite returns to her job as a Seattle Police Department detective in the Violent Crimes Unit after an extended period of maternity leave only to find her spot has been filled. She is instead sent to work on cold cases. One case catches her attention. Five year old Elle Chin disappeared 5 years ago. She was being used as a pawn in her parents toxic divorce proceedings so naturally the parents, and the mother’s new boyfriend, were put under the microscope but to date no specific evidence has been found. It is a perplexing case but Tracey follows every possible lead.

She also looks at a couple of cases where prostitutes have disappeared. These were put on the cold case pile quite quickly as missing prostitutes are not the first priority of an overburdened police force. But it is not long before her old partner, Kinsington Rowe, seeks her help with the disappearance of a young woman jogger as the other members of his team are busy with others cases. The old partnership clicks smoothly into place and these two swing into action. Tracey also wonders if there are links between the missing prostitutes and the jogger as the three disappearances were all in the same area.

Tracey and Kin’s are soon focussing on a family of 3 brothers still living in their (dead) parents house. Something seems off with this family but again, there is no evidence pointing directly to them. I don’t want to say any more. Robert Dugoni has written another cracking book that I thought is one of the best in the series. I’m not even sure what it is that particularly grabbed me but I really struggled to put this one down. I was quite riveted. As usual he managed to tie up all the threads of the story satisfactorily. If I had a niggle - it would be that the Elle Chin case lost a bit of momentum and then was suddenly solved, very conveniently, by Tracey. Nevertheless the ending was very satisfying. Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Robert Dugoni for providing a copy to review. My opinions are my own.

In Her Tracks is the latest Tracy Crosswhite book by Robert Dugoni. After her maternity and medical leave, Tracy is back to work at the Seattle Police Department. It's always a pleasure to catch up on this series. As always Mr Dugoni manages to make it a stand alone story. I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an early copy to review.

Wow, what a rollercoaster of emotions this book brings up. Crosswhite is the kind of kick butt police detective anyone would want on the case if they were trying to find someone they loved who was missing. Criminals don't stand much of a chance against her. I will say that a big chunk of this book involves violence against women and could be a trigger for some people; it was for me so I had to keep putting it down to read something light to calm down. Nevertheless, the book was very well written, has very tight plotting, and is highly readable. Just be aware that the subject matter may be upsetting despite the positive ending.

In Her Tracks is the eighth book in the Tracy Crosswhite series by best-selling award-winning American author, Robert Dugoni. After an extended period of leave, Seattle PD Detective, Tracy Crosswhite finds her position in the Violent Crimes Section has been assigned to a newly promoted female detective, and Captain Johnny Nolasco gives her the option of retirement or taking over the Cold Case Unit. Tracy’s husband, Dan wonders if Nolasco hopes to pressure Tracy into burnout.

Not yet ready to resign, Tracy’s chagrin at letting Nolasco get his way is overcome by the prospect of improved hours and a degree of autonomy. The confidence that retiring Cold Case detective Art Nunzio has in her dedication to the victims, and a brief glance at pending cases seals the deal. But before she can start on the disappearance of five-year-old Elle Chin, ten years earlier, her VCS partner, Kinsington Rowe asks for her help with a missing persons case.

A recent arrival from Los Angeles, nineteen-year-old Stephanie Cole fails to return after a run. Her profile is nothing like that of two missing prostitutes whose files Tracy has glanced at in the Cold Case Unit, but all seem to have disappeared from the same area without trace. When she and Kins canvass the area where Stephanie was last seen, they come across the decidedly creepy Sprague brothers. There is scant trace evidence at the likely scene, but sign-cutter Kylie Wright advises that Stephanie was probably removed to a neighbouring property.

During her downtime with the missing persons case, Tracy reviews the files on Elle Chin’s disappearance from a corn maze while on an access visit with her father, SPD officer Bobby Chin. His acrimonious divorce and his ex-wife’s new relationship serve to complicate matters, but Tracy is diligent in her questioning of the main players in the incident. Will she turn up something new?

Once again, there is some excellent detective work done under challenging circumstances, and Tracy’s lateral approach to bypass Nolasco’s obstructions is most pleasing. While Elle Chin’s fate supplies the element of mystery that many readers crave, awareness from the start of Stephanie’s location and potential fate will have the reader mentally urging Tracy and her team to discover clues and make the necessary connections. But if the reader thinks they know all of what’s going on, they’re not counting on the jaw-dropping twist.

Both of the cases in this instalment remind us that outward appearances can often be misleading. With this one concluding at the tail end of 2019, it will be interesting to see if Tracy has to deal with COVID the next time we see her. There’s a delightful scene towards the end where Tracy gets her own back on Nolasco in a minor, but extremely gratifying manner. Excellent crime fiction, once again.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer.

This latest installment of the Tracy Crosswhite detective series is an engaging page-turner. Tough and resilient Tracy has begrudgingly switched law enforcement roles and in her pared down police department is now the sole detective working cold case files. A new perspective and great evolution for the series.Tracy’s character has also matured, getting better with each installment

Tracy Crosswhite you never disappoint.

I loved your new role in the Cold Case department (once I got over you being moved ) and the pages flew by

Tracy isn't content just to work one case, she multi tasks.

There are lots of twists and turns, nasty characters, ones you love and of a course an ending I did not see coming.

Tracy Crosswhite is a series I love and look forward to every new book.

Robert Dugoni's books are like a unexpected present.

Don't miss this series .

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the privilege of reading and reviewing In Her Tracks

Nothing Can Stop Terry From Catching Criminals

Five years previously Police Officer Chin is late picking up his daughter, Elle, from his soon-to-be ex-wife’s home. As his wife again berates him, he holds back because he couldn’t afford another domestic violence charge. It is October 30th, and Chin wants to take Elle to the Corn Maze. After several delays, Chin and Elle enter the Corn Maze. Elle wants to place hide and seek. Chin counts to six seconds, but Elle is gone and has been missing ever since.

The novel shifts to present day where Terry Crosswhite returns to work after a combined maturity leave and an extended leave for counseling for her situational PTSD. She discovers that another woman detective has taken over her desk. Her boss, Captain Nolasco had come up with a scheme that he hopes might make Terry leave without being able to file a discrimination complaint. He says that he had to fill her position because the team was so shorthanded, he offers her the position of the Cold Case Investigator at the same pay. By the way, he needs an answer today as the current detective is retiring, and today was his last day. Terry takes the job and selects three cases to investigate, the Elle case, and two missing ladies of the evening that DNA may help solve. Her old partner, Kins, asks for help on a fresh missing person case. The novel proceeds from here.

Even though the main storyline juggles between multiple investigations, the storyline is very easy to follow. Within a few chapters, my attention was captured. The primary voice throughout the novel is Terry. The next is a group of voices that belong to the perp and family. It is a story of overcoming difficulties to obtain adequate evidence and for Terry and Kins to be able to arrest, and for Terry to keep her own cold case investigations moving to keep her captain off her back. Also, for the coup de grâce there are two what I call literary grenades that drastically changed my understanding of the main storyline.

The B-storyline is not degraded or is short changed in this the eighth novel in the series and two short stories as I have observed in other long series. Here, Terry has given birth to a daughter. The author weaves the private side of Terry into the story with how her motherhood affects how she acts or reacts at work. This B-storyline complements the main storyline and enriched my reading enjoyment.

As for some sticky points for some readers, this novel is rather low on the offensive side. There are not any intimate scenes but references to it happening including crimes against women. There is one very offense word, but a noticeable level of less rude language. Violence is described in the less edgy after the fact. None of these raised a red flag for me, it is just mature content.

Can this novel be your first read in this series? YES. I did not find any references from the earlier novels and short stories that did not have adequate background so that you can understand the reference.

Overall, and most important, it captured my interest early and kept it all the way to the end. I could not stop reading even late into the night. To finish the novel, I read well into early morning. It did take less than have of my average time to read this novel. Lastly, there were not any loose ends at the end. Based upon all of this, I rate this novel with five stars.

I received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Thomas & Mercer with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

Mr. Dugoni has done it again- written an exciting and suspenseful installment in the Tracy Crosswhite series! Detective Tracy Crosswhite finds herself reassigned to the Seattle PD’s cold case unit. At first, it feels like a slap in the face, but soon becomes something she is intrigued by. She decides to re-open a missing person case of a 5 year old girl, having recently become a mother. Then her former partner, Kinsington Rowe asks for Tracy's help in his own missing person case of a young woman jogger. Tracey starts to see some similarity in a cold case of 2 missing prostitutes. Soon, she's juggling 3 cases along with being a new mom.
Fast-paced and interesting as usual - Robert Dugoni does not disappoint!

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

Once again, Robert Dugoni has written an engrossing and thrilling mystery. I love the Tracy Crosswhite series for many reasons but mostly that Tracy is such a strong character. She has dealt with terrible loss which has affected her for years, but she made a career out of solving difficult cases and helping the innocent.

I love that she and Dan got married and now have their daughter, Daniella. Tracy needed that kind of love and devotion in her life. She dealt with the birth of her child in the previous book and working through PTSD. Once they move back to Seattle, she finds out that her coveted position as a detective in Seattle’s Police Department Violent Crimes unit has been taken by another female and her only choice is to retire or take on the cold cases.

Dan worries about her working but leaves the decision up to her. They are both so supportive of each other and it may be that they are established in their careers and married later than most couples. As Tracy considers staying home with the baby against her life’s work, it shows what many parents face. The love and desire to be with their child and either the need to work due to money or a career that’s important to them. As Tracy works through the pros and cons, she decides to take on the cold cases position but she’s also able to work with Kins on a current case.

Tracy has such a wonderful mind to merge small clues together and the tenacity to dig until she finds detail after detail. She cares about people and knows the heartache of loss. Its intriguing how these cases overlap, and Tracy is capable of finding the clues to work on multiple cases. The story is mainly from Tracy’s point of view but there’s also insight into the lives of disturbed criminals.

I’ve read all of the Tracy Crosswhite books and each story is just as compelling as the next. There are plenty of police procedures, close-knit work partners, twists and unexpected turns, love of family and friends, and more but Tracy always manages to figure out the complicated puzzle of crimes. There were some interesting surprises at the end of this story that I enjoyed. I would love to see more of Dan in the stories even though his work doesn’t overlap with Tracy’s.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read the new work of Mr. Dugoni’s and I look forward to additional stories.

Another terrific Tracy Crosswhite mystery. This one is a two-for, a cold case of a missing baby and a current case of a missing woman. The first is assigned to Tracy by her always-horrible boss who believes she will be miserable (she's just back from maternity leave), and the second is an assist for her former partner who is fighting the clock on this case. In both cases, family secrets and lies are key.
Robert Dugoni always delivers a suspenseful mystery, and Tracy is well worth spending time with.

This was a riveting story. I was totally hooked from first page. Would definitely recommend this book!

Returning from an extended leave in her hometown of Cedar Grove, Detective Tracy Crosswhite finds herself reassigned to the Seattle PD’s cold case unit. As the protective mother of an infant daughter, Tracy is immediately drawn to her first file: the abduction of a five-year-old girl whose parents, embattled in a poisonous divorce, were once prime suspects.

While reconstructing the days leading up to the girl’s disappearance, Tracy is brought into an active investigation with former partner Kinsington Rowe. A young woman has vanished on an isolated jogging trail in North Seattle. Divided between two critical cases, Tracy has little to go on except the treacherous deceptions behind a broken marriage—and now, the secrets hiding behind the closed doors of a deceptively quiet middle-class neighborhood.

To find two missing persons, Tracy will have to follow more than clues, which are both long cold and unsettlingly fresh. Given her own traumatic past, Tracy must also follow her instincts—to whatever dark and dangerous places they may lead.

Another good thriller with Tracy Crosswhite at the helm!
Familiar characters are back but it's mainly Tracy this time, with some work with Kins, cameos by Dan, and her nemesis Nolasco.
I have enjoyed every book in this series. This time, I did guess the outcome of both mysteries (the twist with the missing women, and the real culprit in the missing child case).
These are great investigation/ police procedural novels, but be aware that subject matter is heavy. Murder, rape, torture, child abuse, etc. Unfortunately I don't think any of the books stray from having female victims.
Something I found funny that may be edited out of the final version was a reference to driving on the I-90. I knew immediately that the author must have lived in California for a time because Washingtonians just say "I-90" and never add "the". Old habits are hard to break I guess! Great books, vivid writing, and I really enjoy the Washington and Seattle setting!

In Her Tracks is the eighth book in the consistently excellent Tracy Crosswhite series set in Seattle, about a homicide detective who is determined to find justice for missing women after spending twenty years looking for her younger sister. I’ve read all of them in order and definitely feel I get more out of them from knowing the characters, but you do get all the backstory you need and each one is a separate mystery. Tracy is a fantastic heroine - dogged and thorough, empathetic and considerate, but still cheeky and irreverent especially with her awful boss Nolasco.

Tracy has returned to work after her maternity and medical leave to discover that her job on the A team has been filled in an attempt by Nolasco to get her to quit by moving her into the one-detective Cold Case unit. Initially concerned that the role will bring back her past trauma due to the difficulties of closing cases everyone’s given up on and her own family tragedy, Tracy is intrigued to read the file of a five year old who disappeared on a Hallowe’en outing with her police officer father. The parents seemed more concerned with scoring points off each other in a bitter divorce and a body was never found. Meanwhile her former partner Kins asks for help looking for a young woman who has gone missing on a run after work in a suburb where two previous sex workers have also vanished.

This one was slightly unusual because we know from the start who the guilty party is on one of the cases, so the suspense comes from whether or not they will be caught in time to save their victim. While initially I thought this would make things too predictable, Dugoni has tricks up his sleeve that meant I was still wrong-footed, while managing to wrap up all the plotlines very satisfactorily. I also enjoyed the scenes of Tracy & Dan’s domestic life: I love that instead of throwing a tantrum or second guessing herself because she missed her baby’s first steps, she’s philosophical about the compromises that working mothers have to make and can focus on the most important things. The ending means we can look forward to more cold case puzzles - one of my current favourite types of detective stories alongside Locked Room mysteries (and wouldn’t I love to see Tracy tackle one of those!)

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review. In Her Tracks is published on April 20th.

I didn’t see it coming! This is Tracy’s eighth adventure and I still get excited when I see a new volume coming out. At first I thought that I wasn’t going to like this one as much, since Tracy is sidelined by a plot development right at the beginning and the case seemed pretty clear-cut to me. I wanted to know whether Tracy and Kins would find a missing girl alive, but what had happened was clear. But then there was a plot twist so unexpected and delivered in such a perfect way, that I was shocked. I also liked the secondary story, where Tracy works a cold case looking into the disappearance of a little girl. I found this at first more intriguing but, and this is the only thing I didn’t like as much, eventually it was a little disappointing compared to the whopper of the main plot. As usual, the characters are great and I love how motherhood has changed Tracy (though I’d like more Del and Faz in the next one, please!). It must be hard to keep everything fresh after so many years but, somehow, Dugoni manages to do it.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ Thomas & Mercer!

Full disclosure: This is number 8 in the Tracy Crosswhite series. I've never read any of them, but as I've read several books by Robert Dugoni--I was quite happy to be approved to read this book prepublication. I was not disappointed.

The setting: Following an extended leave, Seattle detective Tracy Crosswhite [with her own issues that relate to the story] is reassigned [much to her chagrin] to the Seattle Police Department's cold case unit. A new mother, she finds herself involved in the case of Elle Chin, a five-year-old girl, who was abducted. Both her divorced parents were once suspects. Next, Tracy is brought into an active investigation with her former partner, Kinsington "Kins" Rowe--where Stephanie Cole, a young woman has vanished while jogging. This latter case forms the bulk of the novel.

I got sucked into this fast, easy read from the start. I liked Tracy. I liked how the novel unfolded and kept turning the '[virtual] pages to see where it would lead.

I knew from the beginning--how the book was set up/started--that Tracy's reassignment would loop back to Elle Chin. No matter. No spoiler but Elle's case doesn't figure in all that much until the end. As noted, most of the novel focuses on Cole's disappearance. After a brief while, Tracy begins to zero in on the three Sprague brothers. And so it goes. She begins to solve the puzzle and took me along for a great ride. I did not see SOME of the trajectory and just enjoyed watching it come together.

Note: I think Dugoni does a good job with the female voice.

Recommend. For me, a solid 4 for this genre.

My first time reading this author's book and I've discovered a new very likable character, Detective Tracy Crosswhite. In this book, she's just coming off maternity and medical leave. Thinking she can get back to work with her regular team, she's surprised that the only position available is to handle cold cases. There are a couple of cases involved in this book. One is a disappearance several years ago of a police officer's daughter. The other is an active investigation into a missing young woman. We are drawn into both investigations as we see Tracy navigate the clues and solve the cases. The plot is well-written and just when one thinks it's pretty straightforward, twists and turns are introduced that are not at all expected. Overall, an enjoyable read that makes me want to go back and read the earlier books in this series.
**Thank you to the publisher for providing me an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Yes - another winner. 5 stars Win - Win, Each book in the Tracy Crosswhite series can be read as a stand alone with no issue. I look for this series, I recommend this series to anyone who likes thriller, mystery, police procedural and life. :The life of a female detective, who has a little daughter at home. Comes back from maternity (and medical) leave to find someone else in her job. A book that details the plight of some runaways and abductees. I book that has you cheering, and when you think you know all, throws out a surprise or two. IT makes you feel and think. I stayed up all night to read this book, I didn't want to stop. Then I stayed up thinking about it, and the notes at the back, Thank you Robert Dugoni, for this incredible series, I cannot get enough and am constantly searching for the next one, as each book brings some new aspect into Tracys life and thereby mine. Thank you Thomas and Mercer for the arc. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. .