I had a lot of fun binge-reading the first nine Tracy Crosswhite books back in 2022, and I always look forward to another installment. With its focus on cold cases in most sequels, this detective series has quickly turned into one of my favorites... And while this element is less present in this newest sequel, A Dead Draw still has plenty to offer. This is a sequel that will hit very close to home indeed for our main character, and especially the second half is impossible to put down.

Part of the reason this series is working so well has a lot to do with the fact that it has a great cast of likeable characters that you will easily grow attached to. There is a lot of room for personal development as well as the individual cases Tracy and the rest of the team investigate, and this is why I would personally suggest reading the books in order. It will help avoid spoilers, and you won't miss out on character development and background this way. Our main character Tracy Crosswhite has had quite a journey during this series, and you might not understand her behavior in A Dead Draw if you aren't aware of everything that has happened in the previous books.

A Dead Draw does have quite a different feel than the previous sequels, as it doesn't really have that strong of a focus on the cold case/detective element. Tracy is actually on a break and not in official capacity in this book, so there is less focus on the official investigation than usual. Instead, it focuses a lot on Tracy's past, her time as a competitive shooter and a new threat that is hanging over her and her family. This shift in focus and the detailed descriptions of the shooting training did slow down the pace considerably in the first half, and I can see why some people are put off by this.

I personally wasn't as bothered by this shift in focus, as I liked learning a bit more about that part of Tracy's past and Lydia is such a great character. What did bother me was the fact that Tracy and Dan made quite a few questionable decisions; not only did I feel that they weren't in line with their usual behavior but they were often simply stupid. For example: why on earth didn't Tracy show Schmidt's mug shot to Dan to confirm he is in town?! Or let their nanny in on the possible dangers?! There were also some twists you could see from a mile away, although I can't deny that the ending itself was very satisfying indeed.

While different that the previous books, A Dead Draw still turned out to be a very engaging thriller despite the slow start. Especially the second half was highly suspenseful and there is no doubt that the story ended with a bang (literally!). The cast of characters makes this whole series worth the time, and I already can't wait what the author has in store for Tracy in the next book.

In “A Dead Draw ” (Tracy Crosswhite) by Robert Dugoni we are brought back into the life of detective Ttracy Crosswhite. This time it is personnel when an old case comes for her friends and threatens her family.

Little does she know that this will be be biggest threat she has ever faced.

All the best characters are back plus some new ones. So enjoy!

I received an ARC of this book, but this is my honest review

A Dead Draw is the eleventh book in the Tracy Crosswhite series. This can be a stand-alone read, but the series is good, you will want to read them all.

Det. Tracy Crosswhite is haunted by the death of her sister. While at a Shoot/No Shoot qualification, she fails when she has a hallucination. She takes her family back to Cedar Grove to reset and find herself again, a killer focused on revenge sets his sites on Tracy while putting everyone she cares about in danger. Tracy goes back to her roots and meets Lydia who may be able to help an old dog learn new tricks. Lydia is on the spectrum and uses video games to help Tracy with her shooting skills. Time is running out as the killer is getting closer and people are in danger.

I loved this book and the addition of Lydia. This was a wonderful addition to the storyline of Tracy as she deals with the ghosts of the past. It is a strong and interesting storyline, but it is also fast paced which makes the reader turn the pages until the surprising conclusion.

A Dead Draw is the 11th in the Tracy Crosswhite series. It took a little longer to draw me in, but once it did, I was hooked.
A defining moment in Tracy’s life was when her sister was murdered. Many of the prior books have touched on this event. Once again, that murder figured into the plot and what’s happening in Tracy’s life. The book begins when Tracy has a psychotic event during a shooting competition. But rather than mention it to anyone, even her husband, she chooses to hide it and bluff her way.
Through a technicality, a killer is allowed to go free rather than stand trial for the murder of two women. Even though Tracy is on leave, she continues to search for a way to bring the man to justice. It’s not giving anything away to say the man plans to come after Tracy.
Dugoni does a good job providing enough background that the book can work as a stand-alone. He also works hard to explain the killer and what has made him into a psychopath. I felt like parts of the book were formulaic - a cat and mouse game between Tracy and the killer. Still, Dugoni does a good job of keeping the tension high. And his writing is very clear, making it easy to envision each scene. There was a new character introduced, Lydia, a woman on the spectrum and I wanted to see if she would play into the ending. I felt Dugoni did a wonderful job making her realistic and relatable. Make sure to read the Author’s Note.
My thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.

Another great novel in the Tracy Crosswhite series! A Dead Draw continues the ongoing story with demons Tracy has fought in the past but is easily read as a standalone. She stumbles on a key challenge but this makes her more determined than ever to accelerate her skills. This brings her a surprising opportunity that leads to an astonishing ending. A great, quick read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was another great book written by Mr. Dugoni, so if you feel the beginning is slow, just don't give up! Even though this is the eleventh b ook in a series, it could easily be read as a stand-alone book. (I hadn't read any of the others, and I was able to follow along fine.)

Tracey is working on a case that she has a personal connection to. Eric Schmidt, the bad guy, is good at getting into Tracey's head, making it more difficult for her to do her job properly.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

Title: A Dead Draw, Tracy Crosswhite #11
Author: Robert Dugoni
Series: Tracy Crosswhite Book 11
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Pub Date: May 27, 2025
My Rating: 4.7 rounded up 5 Stars
Pages: 373

Seattle detective Tracy Crosswhite and her former partner Kinsington Rowe, are observing Erik Schmidt, from behind one-way glass as he is being questioned for the cold case deaths of Julia Hoch and Bridgette Traugott, Tracy has never met or spoke to Mr. Schmidt but he knows her. And tells her this case is past History. He is being arrogant and knows he is ‘getting to’ Tracy. He turns and asks- Surely you remember Edmund House? Of course she does -as he is the man who murdered her sister Sarah thirty years ago and also tried to kill her
Then than says “Ed hoped you would be a better lay than your sister>
Tracy sees red and immediately has her hands around his neck.
He definitely got to her and afterwards has flashbacks of her sister’s death. She has difficult time staying focus on her job. But on a routine firearms exercise where there are armed as well as unarmed targets and the shooter has to make the correct decision. Tracy makes a serious mistake.
She is advised to take off some time.

So she, her husband, Dan O’Leary, their four-year-old daughter Daniella and Therese, their nanny all head to Tracy’s hometown of Cedar Grove for a peaceful getaway as well as a mental health refocus. She soon discovers there was a legal glitch and Schmidt goes free. Tracy fears he will follow her.
While in Cedar Grove Tracy visits her mentors who, of course, are delighted to see her. Since her reason for ‘time off’ had to do with her shooting, she visits her shooting teacher from when she was a teen. Turns out she has a granddaughter who just might be able to help Tracy. - Via shooter video games. I don’t play video games so this was a big of a surprise - something I never thought about regarding an officers training – but makes sense as I am sure many villains train this way.

I had no doubt that Tracy would get past the block she experience in her last fire arms ‘shoot-no shoot’ exercise but a whole lot more happens while in Cedar Grove.

This story was a bit different from the other Tracy stories but it was great!
I enjoyed Dugoni’s ‘Acknowledgement and the inside scoop on his motivation and inspiration for this story.
To me his is a GREAT story teller. This is my ninth [author: Robert Dugoni|63650] novel, I have read most of the novels in the Tracy Crosswhite series and always enjoyed them.


Want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this granted me the pleasure of reading this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 27, 2025.

A fitting and satisfying finale to a beloved series!

A Dead Draw is another compelling entry in the Tracy Crosswhite detective series—and, in my opinion, the perfect way to close out what has been an exceptional run. Robert Dugoni continues to deliver tightly crafted thrillers with new twists and emotional depth, and this installment is no exception.

While the overall writing is strong, I did feel that the story started a bit slowly. I would have loved more early background on the cold case involving the girls, or even on Schmidt himself, to help anchor the emotional stakes right away. It might have added a chilling layer if Schmidt had mimicked House more physically, really amping up the psychological tension for Tracy and those around her.

That said, Dugoni does a fantastic job tying up loose ends and giving Tracy a grounded, satisfying path forward. The inclusion of her cowboy action shooting was such a fun and unexpected touch—it brought a unique and memorable element full circle from previous books.

A Dead Draw offers a blend of heart, suspense, and closure that fans of the series will appreciate. I’ll miss Tracy Crosswhite, but I’m excited to see what Dugoni writes next!

Thanks to Thomas and Mercer for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Detective Tracy Crosswhite is reminded of her sister's murder when another murderer, Eric, with ties to him is let loose on a technicality. Tracy fails a shooting exercise and is given time off, so she and her family go to their cottage to spend some time. Once there she has to worry about whether Eric knows of her whereabouts.

DNF at 78%.

This book was soooooo boring for me. I read a book from this author's lawyer series and liked it so I figured I would give this detective series a try. I like detective novels and would love to get into a good new to me detective series. I am reading from some of the reviews that maybe this was a one off, but I don't know if I will be able to try another one. Granted I started at book 11, but nothing about this book was entertaining to me regarless of the whether I had read the other books in the series. There is endless content about shooting, which is the last thing I care about and it took up the first half of the book. By then I could not have cared less about what Eric was up to. I got to 78% and asked myself, why I was still bothering when I have so many other books to read and I finally called it.

4.5 stars ⭐️

First of all, I am a huge fan of this series - we ARE 11 books into the series at this point - so we have pretty well established the world at this point. With that being said, this book is a bit of a different in the fact that we seem to go back to the beginning. A lot of this series focuses on how the death of Tracey's sister so many years ago still affects her. We've seen this brought up many times in the past, but THIS book brings it seriously back.

The story starts off when a suspect is arrested, and the police discover that he had a gun in his possession that matched 2 murders from a couple of cold cases that Tracey is working on. When she goes into to interview him, he makes a couple of statements that lets her know that this guy was VERY good friends in prison with the man who murdered her sister. And not only was he friends with Edward House - he KNOWS specific details about Tracey and her sister. Things start from there.

This guy - Eric Schmidt - is able to get into her head and when he is released due to a procedural error, he makes it clear that he is gunning for her. Tracey didn't even know this man existed (he was just recently released from prison) and once she begins to look into his past- she realizes that he really is a threat - and he is coming after her.

This storyline takes us back to Cedar Grove, where Tracey and Dan grew up, and where Sarah was murdered. When she realizes that Schmidt was an EXPERT level competitive shooter, she realizes that her shooting skills have gotten rusty. Between her deteriorating mental state causing recurring PTSD, and the issues she has with the Shoot/No Shoot qualification, she decides to go back to the man who trained her and Sarah in Competitive Shooting all those years ago.

Yes, there is an awful lot of descriptive information on her shooting training. An awful lot. Was it too much? Maybe for some people - but I found it interesting. I especially enjoyed the introduction of the new character Lydia who is "on the spectrum" but was truly a breath of fresh air. She kind of bursts onto the page and breaks up what could be considered the many info dumps.

All in all, there is a sufficient build up to the climax that you just know is coming. I was actually a little surprised with what that climax was, but not disappointed. I will say that I hope we can see Tracey grow from this and finally be able to put that tragedy behind her - not to forget, but for it to stop taking such an important part of her present. She has so much to live for now and she has spent the majority of her life dealing with the murder of her sister. Granted, this situation was not of her doing, and couldn't be helped, but it might just be what she needed to finally have closure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone. This book will be out for publication on May 27, 2025.

I was thrilled to be able to read an ARC of Robert Dugoni’s “A Dead Draw,” the latest installment in his Tracy Crosswhite series. I had discovered the series at the start of the pandemic and have enjoyed the books. In particular, I’ve enjoyed the progression of Tracy’s personal and professional lives over the years.

In this new offering, two of Tracy’s cold cases has led to her identifying Erik Schmidt as a suspect. During the interrogation, Erik quickly begins taunting Tracy and establishing he knows a lot about her. The reason he knows a lot about Tracy and what happened to her sister, Sarah, is because he knew Edmund House in prison.

After Erik Schmidt is released from police custody due to a legal error, Tracy also makes a critical mistake during a newly established shooting exercise by the police department. Tracy and her family heads to her hometown of Cedar Grove to take some time off. However, based on how much Erik Schmidt knows about her, she is concerned he will be heading to Cedar Grove as well. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game between Schmidt and Tracy, as well as people she cares about.

The part I loved most about this book is how it was a nod to the first book in the series. It focused on Tracy’s shooting skills, but also reminded me of how far she’s come in the series.

Overall, I recommend this book. I hope the series continues for at least a few more books. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

There are uncanny similarities between Tracy Crosswhite's investigation in My Sister's Grave and her current one in A Dead Draw. Tracy's investigation into Erik Schmidt brings back unwanted memories of Edmund House, her sister's murderer. There are singular similarities between Schmidt and House that cause Tracy to come unglued. To get herself back into the right mentality, Tracy and Dan take the family back to Cedar Grove. There, Tracy decides she needs to refresh and enhance her shooting abilities if she's going to face Schmidt. She returns to train with her former shooting instructor, Mason Pettibone who pairs Tracy with his granddaughter, Lydia, whose speed and accuracy make her an ideal firearms instructor for Tracy. However, Schmidt has his own ideas on how he can avenge House. The tension and suspense builds and builds, ending with a dangerous, climactic encounter and a startling twist. There seems to be every indication that there will be more novels in this well-constructed police procedural series. Looking forward to reading more of Tracy's investigations as well as getting to better know her family and her police partners.

One of the best things about long-running series by talented writers is that they can explore different genres. Previous volumes were procedurals, whodunits and even creepy mysteries. At first, I thought that this would be a legal thriller, which is not my thing. I was still interested because I love these characters. Very soon it was clear that this was not limited to the courthouse, but that it was something darker and more personal for Tracy, leading to a final part that would make Gary Cooper proud. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll just say that Tracy’s teammates are peripheral to this plot, and we get to see some characters that haven’t been around for some time. There is also a new cast member so fantastic, that it feels like I’ve known her forever. The plot is really, insanely suspenseful. I saw the final twist coming, but that didn’t take away its impact. Poignant, thrilling and insanely entertaining, this is what fiction is about. Five shining stars!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer.

One cold case, excellent. Two cold cases amazing. That’s great writing. We love Tracey C. And love R. Dugoni. Keep writing these amazing stories and more episodes of Tracey Crosswhite.

Thank you, Thomas & Mercer for providing the copy of A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni. This is book 11 in the Tracy Crosswhite series and it might be my favorite. I loved Tracy’s emotional resonance when she befriends the granddaughter of her former shooting teacher. I have always enjoyed reading about how Tracy changes throughout the series, and she really grew this time. I never thought I would be enthralled reading about shooting guns, but Dugoni made it so accessible I was glued to the pages. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, suspenseful book with characters that feel alive, this is the book for you. 5 enthusiastic stars.

In A DEAD DRAW, written by Robert Dugoni, Tracy Crosswhite is a Seattle detective who works cold cases. While Tracy is interrogating Erik Schmidt, he laughs and baits her regarding the death of her sister at the hand of Edmund House. The image of Erik Schmidt enters Tracy’s mind during her shooting test causing her to fail. I am intrigued and read on.

I immediately care about Tracy Crosswhite and want her to prevail over her psychological issues. I appreciate having access to Schmidt’s history and the possible effect it has on him doing such evil things. The plot is well-structured and leads to a satisfying conclusion. I look forward to reading the next Tracy Crosswhite book. Thank you, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of A DEAD DRAW.

Robert Dugoni does it again! A Dead Draw is another fantastic installment in the Tracy Crosswhite series—full of suspense, heart, and twists that keep you hooked. Tracy’s journey just keeps getting better, and I loved every page. If you’re a fan of the series, this one won’t disappoint!

I enjoyed the book and the suspense and thrill of it some scenes or chapters were exciting

I would have liked less of the gun story Tracey going to training as it got dragged to long into the book
I would have liked more details of characters
apart from that it was good
can not wait for next book

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book.

I enjoy this series and this was a great addition. I look forward to the next one!

I just finished reading A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni. It is now 1:00 am. I had to stay up and finish it. It seems like we haven't seen Tracy Crosswhite in a while. I love her character and her stories. She sure gets injured a lot but considering all the risks she takes it is not surprising. This was an excellent book. Very fast paced and the unexpected happen in this story. I enjoy her family and her love and protection she has for them. I will buy this book for my sister. She will enjoy it too. I like the way Robert Dugoni writes. He is one of my favorites. Keep the Tracy books coming and I will keep reading them.