Tracy Crosswhite is back in a thrilling, non-stop action story set in her hometown of Cedar Grove, WA. When a double murderer takes aim at Tracey's partner, Kins, Tracey and her husband and daughter take refuge in Cedar Grove to take refuge until the dust settles in Seattle. However, the killer tracks her home and taunts her with thrilling action all the way into the North Cascades. It's quite the gunslinging, fast paced story we love starring Tracy.

I've read all the Crosswhite books and have felt the last several were a bit bogged down with Tracy the homemaker. I much prefer her detecting to her mothering. This book assures me I'll be back for another!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this great book.

I really like the writing style of Robert Dugoni, and I love the Tracy Crosswhite series, so I was really happy to dive into this book.

The writing was really well done, as always. i was totally drawn into the story. I loved the plot - it was something different and interesting. I thought it was super interesting to learn about competitive shooting.

Now for the bad - there was too much detail about competitive shooting for me. From descriptions of revolvers, and pistols, and rifles. etc. Then what seemed like endless descriptions of the shooting range setups - I ended up skimming and even skipping pages. It was too confusing for me to visualize. I completely understand why it was in there - it was just too much for me personally. I think if you've ever been to a shooting range, you would like this much better than I did.

All that being said, I will still give this 4 stars. If 3 is average, then this is a 4, because I really did enjoy the story.

A Dead Draw is a great historical period drama including human interaction. It was a new prospective of WW2 in the Pacific awakening knowledge of another Inhumanity with totally wrong reasoning for the participation by those who were running the show. But on the other hand, redemption can also found. I enjoyed this complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Another fast paced, unputdownable saga in the Tracy Crosswhite series!! I literally read this in a day. The storyline heavily ties in with My Sisters Grave, the first in this series. I really loved some of the new characters, especially Lydia.

A heart-pounding thriller where the hero and villain are equally relentless! The twists had me sweating—this book is insanely good!

A Dead Draw – Robert Dugoni
Pub date: May 27 2025
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Series: Tracy Crosswhite #11
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Thank you! @netgalley @thomasmerceruk and @robertdugoni
For the ARC copy.

Description:

In A Dead Draw, the eleventh installment in the Tracy Crosswhite series, Robert Dugoni delivers another gripping thriller packed with suspense, psychological depth, and high stakes. Detective Tracy Crosswhite finds herself confronting a chilling suspect, Erik Schmidt, whose connection to her past makes the case intensely personal. When a legal loophole sets Schmidt free, Tracy’s worst fears materialize—he may be coming after her family. As she battles her own trauma while being drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse, Tracy must rely on her instincts and skills to outwit a dangerous adversary before she loses everything she holds dear.

My Thoughts & Recommendations:

I absolutely loved Tracy, Dan,Theresa, and Lydia—especially Lydia, who was the true hero of the story. The encounter between Theresa, Danielle, and the villain had me sweating like I was right there with them. That whole episode gave me chills and nearly a heart attack!

And the final fight—OMG! I seriously couldn’t imagine how it would unfold. The twist was mind-blowing and executed so well.

The story starts off a little slow, but once it shifts to Cedar Grove, it becomes fast, gripping, and terrifying. This is my first book by Robert Dugoni, and I’m definitely going to read the rest of the series.

One of the best detective thrillers where both the villain and the hero are equally stubborn. I absolutely loved it!

If you love intense thrillers with strong characters and unexpected twists, this book is a must-read!

#DetectiveThriller #CrimeFiction #TracyCrosswhite #RobertDugoni #BookReview #ThrillerBooks #MysteryLovers #SuspenseReads #Bookstagram1l #MustRead #BookWorm #ReadingCommunity #Bestseller #ADeadDraw #NetGalley.

Anyone who is a fan of bestselling author, Robert Dugoni’s Tracy Crosswhite series, will want to immediately pick up the eleventh installment in the series, Dead Draw. Tracy, who works as a detective in the cold cases department of Seattle Police Department, is disappointed when the suspected murderer of two young women, Eric Schmidt, gets released on a technicality by a bad judge. Schmidt blames Tracy for his friend, Edmund House’s death and was in Prison with House before he died at Tracy’s hand in a previous novel. Tracy, who grew up competing in shooting competitions with her sister, Sarah who was murdered by House, messes up in her latest shooting exercise her latest shooting test and takes a bit of time off traveling back to her hometown, Cedar Grove to keep her husband, daughter, Daniella, and their nanny safe. Tracy contacts her old instructor to help her bone up on her shooting skills. Unfortunately, Schmidt turns up in Cedar Grove and threatens those Tracy loves the most.

Dugoni is a master storyteller and has earned his bestselling status. He keeps his readers on the edge and actually does enough research that the scenarios ring true. He builds suspense throughout this excellent novel, and readers will learn everything they need to know about shooting competitions; they may even look into competing themselves. There are, of course, twists and turns and a surprise dénouement at the end.

Those of us who have read the previous Tracy Crosswhite novels will be familiar with her and her developments, and will remember the history of her sister’s murder and her father’s suicide because of it. New readers most likely won’t fully understand her character fully without reading the previous novels. The story has well-developed sub-characters and they seem like real people. The story

All told, this is another winner. However, to fully enjoy this series, it is suggested that readers start with the first novel and read to the end. All of them are excellent, and this one will seem even better.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

With this novel, Robert Dugoni takes us back to the start of his Tracy Crosswhite series and the event that drove Tracy to become a detective - the disappearance of her 18 year old sister Sarah that has haunted Tracy for twenty years. Edmund House, was later convicted of Sarah’s abduction and murder, however new evidence led to an appeal and his release. Not long after, he was killed himself.

Now House’s prison mate, Erik Schmidt, recently released, is out to revenge Edmund, who has told him all about Tracy and her family. Tracy had once interviewed Schmidt while in prison and was convinced she was in the presence of a cold blooded psychopath. Now she has nightmares about both House and Schmidt and when she fails a police shooting test, decides to take some time off with her family in her home town of Cedar Grove.

There is a lot of fairly dry detail in this book about guns and shooting competitions which may not appeal to everyone, but rest assured this is for a good reason. As teenagers Tracy and Sarah were both state winners in Cowboy Action Shooting competitions and it was after such a competition that Sarah disappeared. In Cedar Grove, Tracy looks up her old mentor, Mason Pettibone who introduces her to his granddaughter Lydia, a highly intelligent teenager on the autism spectrum. She reminds Tracy of Sarah and shows Tracy a whole new way to train to become a better shooter.

There is a slow build up in setting the scene for this game of cat and mouse as Schmidt plays the long game and Tracy, as always, is stubborn and adamant that she can handle anything that comes her way, to the point where some of her decisions seem reckless. Mid way through the book, the tension accelerates and danger crackles off the pages generating a feeling that this is not going to end well.

The ending is packed with suspense and tension, building to an explosive climax and a truly wicked twist. Lydia is a wonderful new character, who I feel sure we’ll see more of in the future. Both enjoyable and shocking, this an excellent and worthwhile addition to the series, focusing on Tracy’s ongoing life and career, delving deeper into her character, her roots and what drives her and should not be missed by fans of the series. Hopefully, the resolution will also allow Tracy to finally shake off the demons from her past and put her PTSD behind her so she can focus on her career and what she does best.

This is the next instalment in the Tracy Crosswhite series, book 11. I love how Robert Dugong continues to entertain us with her character.

Tracy is now investigating cold cases, and this brings her back face to face with a ruthless but very conniving killer, Eric Schmidt. This is a particularly challenging scenario for Tracy as this cold-blooded killer convicted of two vicious murders has a known association to her sister’s murderer, Edmund House.

Tracy faces a shooting challenge that all officers must pass but during this, the normally hot shot shooter is unable to focus and fails the test, she keeps seeing images in her head of Schmidt and it becomes all consuming.

With everything around her falling to pieces, Tracy moves the family back to her hometown of Cedar Grove but the family she adores are soon threatened when her nanny out with her daughter are set upon by a daunting figure, one they believe to be Schmidt, sending Tracy a message that he can get to her anywhere. Tracy calls upon the man who taught her all she knows about shooting a gun and develops a relationship with his autistic daughter Lydia, a young woman who will end up playing an influential role in the inevitable showdown with Schmidt, only the smartest will survive.

The book did start off a little slow, but the author purposely provided back story regarding the character of Erik Schmidt and believed this was essential for any reader coming into the series late.

Another book in this series that I really enjoyed, and I look forward to the next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

Tracy Crosswhite is back, and Robert Dugoni has hit it out of the park, with this return to Tracy's roots. In many ways, A Dead Draw feels like a sequel to the original My Sister's Grave that started it all. Tracy has returned to Cedar Grove. And we are brought back to the story of Edmund House and her original backstory - a champion competitive shooter with a sister who as even better than she was. The book move quickly. The pace is engaging, the story is incredibly interesting, and while I kind of guessed the conclusion, we were introduced to new characters, and just a great novel. Robert Dugoni is a master at his craft. A Dead Draw does not disappoint. Thanks to Thomas Mercer./Amazon Publishing and Netgalley for this advanced readers copy.

Robert Dugoni has done it again. Another great addition to the Tracy Crosswhite series. This one has Tracy revisiting her past as she deals with a predator obsessed with her sister and the man. Who killed her. Tracy and Dan do everything they can to protect their family .we are introduced to Lydia, a great character who i hope appears in.future books
This book kept me up way past my bed time.
Definitely recommend

Mr. Dugoni you've done it again! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟! Tracy never disappoints with keeping you on the edge of your seat and your portrayal of Lydia was perfect and I respect you so much for her character. Run and grab this beauty for your collection!!

Thank you @amazonpublishing for an ARC!

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: A Dead Draw (Tracy Crosswhite 11)
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Robert Dugoni
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: May 27, 2025
4⭐️

✨ 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 ✨
This is one of my favorite female detective series! I have been reading the Tracy Crosswhite books for years and love that I can read ARCs of them! Dugoni is always fantastic at writing Police Procedurals!

I don’t know how Dugoni comes up with more stories for Tracy, but this one is an interesting dive back into Tracy’s past, her sisters death and the fallout of that, and Tracy’s history as a competition shooter. Dugoni was really creative in his introduction of Tracy’s shooting mentor from her high school days, and a new character Lydia, who is the granddaughter of her instructor.

I enjoyed the history of Tracy’s hometown of Cedar Grove being dug up some more, with history behind her family’s house included. The bad guy in this book had an interesting back story and it felt like a different twist or vibe from some previous bad guys that Tracy has been up against!

I hope to see more of Tracy stories in the future, I will never tire of her and coworkers, family and friends!

✨ 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
▪️ Police Procedurals
▪️ Strong Female Detectives
▪️ Past and Present Mysteries
▪️ Western/Cowboy Shooting Competitions

Holy crap, I absolutely adored Robert Dugoni's newest installment in the Tracy Crosswhite series. A Dead Draw, which releases in May 2025, follows Tracy in a cat-and-mouse game with Eric Schmidt, a suspect in double homicide cold cases. Schmidt easily gets under Tracy's skin when she learns he has ties to the man who murdered her sister Sarah. Tracy is so off her game that she leaves Seattle and takes her family home to Cedar Grove in an attempt to keep them safe,
There was so much about this book that I loved. It kept me on the edge of my seat and we got to meet some amazing new side characters like Lydia. While the ending was a tad predictable I have never picked up a Robert Dugoni book that I didn't love and this was no exception.
Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t know when I read this book that it was part of a series. I had no issue getting into it having not read previous books and it could definitely be read as a standalone. Then ending wasn’t a total surprise but I was still happy with the lead-up. A solid story worth the read for sure. I liked the writing enough that I may check out other books in this series.

How is it possible that Robert Dugoni has now written eleven books in his popular Tracy Crosswhite series? That’s right, folks! Dugoni’s newest Crosswhite thriller, A Dead Draw, is due out in late May 2025.

As a detective for the Seattle Police Department, Tracy is now working cold cases. When a suspect in a double homicide is brought in for questioning and provokes the detective during the interrogation, she uncharacteristically flies off the handle. Worse yet, the man, Eric Schmidt, has a history that goes back to the time when the killer of Tracy’s sister was imprisoned. Later, during a shooting test, things get worse, and Tracy knows she needs a mental break. Schmidt proves that he is out for revenge for what he considers was the illicit death of his friend, and Crosswhite knows that he will be a force to be reckoned with.

She and husband Dan pack up their 4-year-old daughter Daniella, their nanny Therese, and their two dogs and head to their hometown of Cedar Grove for a getaway. There, she decides to reconnect with her former shooting coach to regain her skills and her confidence. She will need every bit of each. Her coach, Mason Pettibone, introduces her to his granddaughter, Lydia, a computer/game nerd who will take over much of Tracy’s instruction. Lydia, a high-functioning autistic young woman who remembers and can recite anything she reads, is indeed a whiz-kid when it comes to shooting games. She is also a patient teacher and is an expert shot on the course as well. She has read all about Tracy and her sister and is thrilled to meet her in person. Tracy soon recognizes that she has her work cut out for her, but she’s a diligent worker and is highly motivated. Her career and her life and those of her co-workers, husband, and daughter are at stake.

I had a good sense of how things would pan out in the end, but that did not lessen the tension. Dugoni is a master at plot development. His characters feel genuine, and the fact that the author is familiar with the Seattle area and the Washington wilderness is obvious. With the inclusion Tracy’s intriguing new friend, Lydia, this book is highly entertaining. These factors create danger and suspense that make A Dead Draw hard to put down.

I received a digital copy of A Dead Draw in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author.

4 stars

I really enjoy the Tracy Crosswhite books, although must confess this was not one of my favorites. I'm not sure exactly why that is - perhaps because Tracy feels so off her game in this one. I appreciate that she has more to lose than ever before, but her combination of recklessness and remorse for it felt like well-trod ground and wore on my nerves a little bit after a while.

I do always enjoy when she goes back to Cedar Grove though, and I absolutely loved the introduction of Lydia as a surrogate for Sarah. I found the back and forth between the two to be one of my favorite aspects of this book, and I am looking forward to seeing Lydia in future installments.

Three and a half stars rounded up to four for one of my favourite authors and one of my favourite series.

A game of cat and mouse between our main protagonist Tracy Crosswhite and a suspect in a double murder from a cold case Erik Schmidt, who has ties to Tracy’s late nemesis House, this one is good but not amongst the best in the series.

An interesting premise and the introduction of a new character who is autistic adds greatly to the story but it just doesn’t quite have that spark of previous efforts. A little draggy in the middle and then a slightly over the top finale with both Tracy and her husband Dan making some questionable (and out of character) decisions, it just doesn’t have the craft and plot of previous efforts.

I still enjoyed it enough though to give it a high mark and if you are a fan of the series you will certainly enjoy this one. I’ve yet to read a bad book by Dugoni so when it’s nothing short of brilliant it’s a bit of a shock for me.

I’d still recommend this to fans and indeed newcomers to the series. It can be read as a standalone and if you enjoy it as a first time reader, know there are some brilliant books that preceded it for you to enjoy.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

Tracy Crosswhite is back again and she’s off her A-game after an interaction with killer who is set free on a technicality and a major miss during a training exercise. She packs up and her family to head to her hometown but far isn’t far enough. Robert Dugoni has continued to make this series interesting and engaged but comfortable - you know what you’re going to get which is nice as an in-between read of stand-alone thrillers. Thank you Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to review!

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, publishers Thomas & Mercer and author, Robert Dugoni for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. Publication date is currently set for May 27, 2025.

Book #11 in the series – where does the time go?

Our protagonist, Detective Tracy Crosswhite is now older and wiser (wiser? – who said that? Not me, because in this book some of her decision making is a little questionable). She's now married to partner Dan O'Leary and has a three-year-old daughter, Daniella. She's now working Cold Cases, having moved out of Seattle Police Department's Violent Crimes Section 'A Team' because it's safer – or is it?

Readers familiar with the series will know the background of how Tracy lost her sister, Sarah. But for those unfamiliar, her younger sister, Sarah, (who was then eighteen), disappeared after the two sisters had participated in a shooting competition. As Tracy went off to dinner with her then boyfriend, Ben, Sarah left to drive home in the rain but was never seen again. Sarah never made it home. A local man, Edmund House, was later convicted of her abduction and murder. Tracy had always considered the evidence which convicted House to be inconclusive and worked to overturn the conviction. In a cruel twist of fate, it was Tracy who ultimately ended House's life when it came to light he was in fact responsible for Sarah's death.

As evidenced right from the first book in the series, Sarah's death has dwelt heavily on Tracy and that storyline has played a part of each subsequent book since, be it small or large. In this instalment, Sarah's death is at the forefront.

Erik Schmidt, a suspect in two cold case killings which Tracy is investigating has just been released on a 'technicality'. Schmidt, an expert marksman, took pleasure in taunting Tracy as he walked free from court. Haunted by Schmidt's release and reoccurring nightmares about Sarah, Tracy is off her game – failing a mandatory qualification shoot set by the Department. Returning to her hometown of Cedar Grove to refocus, Tracy contacts an old mentor, and former shooting coach, Mason Pettibone to see if he can improve her reaction time.

Unbeknown to Tracy, Erik Schmidt is on her trail.

Definite Yays

🤠 Dugoni uses vivid descriptions that help the reader better understand the environment whether it is the task force office or a small town.

🤠 The storyline is engaging, suspenseful, and includes some tense scenes.

🤠 Overall, this book has well-developed relatable main and secondary characters. If you are looing for a solid series that will have mystery, suspense, crime, action, and, a 'touch' of romance this might be for you.

Definite Hmms

🤔 Many readers have commented that the first half of the book spends a lot of time describing types of guns, shooting competitions and shoot-em-up video games. While I do acknowledge that a large portion of the early story does devote a bit of page time to these topics, this reader is cognizant of the fact that guns and shooting made up a huge portion of the protagonists childhood and is in fact, a day-to-day part of her present day job as a detective in the Seattle PD. So, while this reader didn't mind the page time, I can appreciate it might be a cause for concern for other readers.

🤔 This reader would have liked to have seen more of a presence from previous secondary characters, Kinsington Rowe, Vic Fazzio and Delmo Castigliano.

🤔 One of the biggest turnoffs for this reader (hence my 4 star rating) was that although Tracy feels realistic and authentic as she continues to struggle with the guilt for not being there to protect her sister, it's getting a bit stale. Yes she sought counselling for her sister's death, but I'm not seeing a lot of growth regarding that area of her character and as a result, a lot of her decision making in this book was highly questionable.

Definite Last Word

🤩 Overall, a solid addition to the series.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Thomas & Mercer for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for May 27, 2025.

A Dead Draw
by Robert Dugoni
Pub Date: May 27, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
A killer fueled by revenge. A detective haunted by the past. They are headed for a high-stakes showdown in this bone-chilling new Tracy Crosswhite novel by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni. Forced into a twisted game of cat and mouse, Tracy must draw on all her training, wits, and strength to defeat a master criminal before he takes away everyone Tracy loves.
The story was slow to take off, with the action not starting until 50-60%. Also, much of the story involves competitive shooting, which I found boring so I skimmed much of those sections. I also had to fight my irritation at some of the poor decisions made by Tracy and her husband.

These things were deal breakers for me, but diehard fans of the series may feel differently.

The author explains in his note that he and his dad were big fans of spaghetti westerns and I believe he was successful in his attempt to recreate some of those scenes.