Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Robert Dugoni continues to solidify his place as a master of suspense with "Deadly Draw." This series is addictive and the addition of Lightning Strike (Tracy"s co-protaganist gunslinger name) Dugoni has brought new life to an already exciting series. I adored this uniquely interesting character.

This latest installment in the Tracy Crosswhite series is a thrilling ride, expertly weaving together a complex murder investigation with poignant character moments.

Dugoni masterfully injects a fresh perspective into the familiar procedural formula.

While the series has a loyal following, of which I am a proud member, "Deadly Draw" stands out as a particularly strong entry.

Dugoni's writing is sharp and engaging, and the pacing is perfect, building tension steadily until it explodes in a thrilling climax.

"Deadly Draw" is a must-read for fans of the series and a compelling introduction for newcomers. Dugoni proves once again that he is a master storyteller who delivers thrilling suspense and nuanced character development.

3.5 rounded up. I so enjoy this series! As with every Tracy Crosswhite book, once I hit 65-70%, I cannot put it down. This one is a little more character driven and a little more far fetched, but it works within the world that Dugoni has built for these characters. It’s heavy on descriptions of shooting (for competitions and police force exams) which wasn’t my favorite, but heavy on Cedar Grove lore which I really enjoyed. Overall, another great book in the series and now I start the wait for book 12 to see where it takes Tracy and company.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own.

The Tracy Crosswhite, Seattle’s PD Cold Cases Detective series is one of the best! I thoroughly enjoyed the latest book which has plenty of action and suspense to keep you glued to the pages! While it is helpful to read the books in order, the characters are well developed so it is not a hindrance if this one is your first. You will most likely want to go back and read earlier books to see how it flows through the storyline. This one is definitely a 5 star!

3.5 Stars

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.

Mr. Dugoni is one of my favorite authors and I've read and enjoyed every book in the series going clear back to 2014. I still find each book to be compelling!

My very favorite parts were ALL of the parts with Lydia in them. Lydia is a young woman who has autism and she was presented in a respectful manner that felt spot-on to me. I hope this series never ends. I especially hope that Lydia will appear in some of the future books. I also loved Tracy's dogs, of course!

My least favorite parts were when Tracy and/or Dan made decisions that seemed senseless. (I found myself saying "WHAT??? Absolutely zero good can come of THAT decision!!"🤪) Also, A Dead Draw had more things to keep track of than previous books. But still ... I love this series and reading this book was like connecting with old friends.

I laughed when I read the author's notes and saw Mr. Dugoni had thanked his wife for correcting his grammar in A Dead Draw. (Ha! That sounds like my life!)

Big thanks to #ThomasAndMercer for providing this book for review consideration via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This book is #11 in the Tracy Crosswhite series, with an expected publication date of May 27, 2025.

Robert Dugoni delivers yet another compelling read with "A Dead Draw." This novel follows Detective Tracy Crosswhite, affectionately known as Crossdraw, as she pursues the recently released suspect, Erik Schmidt. However, the question looms: is she the one hunting him, or is he stalking her? As Tracy returns to her hometown, she confronts a mix of cherished and painful memories. The narrative culminates in an exhilarating conclusion. I wholeheartedly recommend this book!

A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni
(Tracy Crosswhite #11)

The murder of Tracy's sister has always haunted her and has played small and large parts throughout each book of the series, whether it's a just a mention or more. Now Tracy's nightmares are rampant and her flashbacks are interfering with her life. It doesn't help that she's kept her increasing trauma based anxiety to herself but it all comes out into the open when she has an episode in the middle of a shooting exercise at work. Tracy needs time off, she needs to get help, and she needs to deal with the issues in a way that can allow her not to snap in public or at home.

When Tracy goes back to the basics, it is with a twist. Her old shooting teacher of her teen years now has a granddaughter that is better able to train Tracy to concentrate and focus. Enter lots of first person shooter video games. I'm a lousy first person shooter but I still play them on occasion even though they aren't my favorite, so I enjoyed this inclusion in the story. Plus more time on the actual shooting range with her old teacher hopefully will help Tracy get past the hurdles she's been experiencing.

Tracy has reason to be worried because a prison mate of the man who killed her sister seems to have Tracy in his gunsight. Now this guy is out of prison and if he can't get Tracy first, he'll go after anyone dear to her. I do have to yell, "NO NO NO" every time Tracy's bullheadedness has her thinking she is the only one to fix a problem, not allowing herself to get the backup she needs. This is another action filled story but it's also filled with family and the best of friends. My husband is following in my footsteps with this series and he's just starting book ten so this series is a big hit in our family.

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

I enjoyed catching up with Tracy, the heroine of this series. I believe this is book 11 and seeing her growth as a person. It is possible to read this as a standalone. It wasn't my favorite of the series, at times, it felt like it had too many details about things that weren't necessary to move the story along, ie and that made it less interesting for me. Lots of action in the second half. A likeable new character in Lydia, on the spectrum and presented in a loving manner.

2.5 stars

Haunted by her sister’s death and the man who killed her, Detective Tracy fails her routine shooting test and is placed on leave.

The man who killed Tracy’s sister is dead, shot by Tracy herself, but someone is out to avenge his death. Someone who has murdered before but is set free on a technicality. He not so subtly threatens Tracy.

Tracy and her husband, decide to take their 3 year old daughter and go to their mountain home in Cedar Grove, where Tracy grew up.

As she settles into life in Cedar Grove, she befriends Lydia, a young woman who is on the autistic spectrum, and with Lydia’s help, she hones her skills. Skills she will soon need when events escalate and Tracy must fight for her life, and the lives of her loved ones.

So why 2.5 stars? 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.

This was a buddy read, and for Marialyce and I, it was all a bit too much. This was my 3rd book by this author. Although it’s #11 in the series, it works as a standalone.

Tracy Crosswhite, is a tough, hard as nails detective, but when a failure at a qualifying shooting challenge for her job, she imagines she sees the man who murdered her sister. This hallucination and others haunts her and sets her down a path she may never escape from.

She is told to take some time off and so she and her family head to their old home, Cedar Grove, in the mountains where Tracy reconnects with the man who taught her to shoot. There she meets Lydia, an autistic young woman who tutors Tracy in the art of computer games where split second decisions make or break a game's win or lose. Tracy learns, while helping Lydia, the means to be a fast decision maker something that might aid her upcoming battle with her nemesis, Erik Schmidt, who has an unnerving connection to the man who killed her sister.

Even though Erik Schmidt is suspected of killing two woman through a point of legality, he is set free, and Tracy is in his line of fire and Erik is out to get his man (or in this case his woman).

Will Tracy be able to save herself and her family from this evil man who is an expert in shooting and guns?

For me the start of the story was slow with its endless writing of gun, ammunition, and the like.. so the reason for only three stars.

A Dead Draw is a tense story that dives deeper into Detective Tracy Crosswhite's past. It starts when Tracy uncharacteristcally loses her temper in an interrogation of Eric Schmidt. Then, after a rare misstep in her shooting qualification test, Schmidt is set free on a legal technicality. Fearing that Schmidt will come after her Tracy takes her family back home to Cedar Grove to regroup. But when it becomes clear that nowhere is safe she turns to her old shooting competition instructor to help her get her training back into focus. I love the Tracy Crosswhite series because the character continues to grow as the series progresses. The cases are complex and intriguing and it was nice to see Tracy try to get closure about her sister's case from book 1. I look forward to book 12. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a strong eleventh entry in the Tracy Crosswhite series, Robert Dugoni was able to keep this fresh and worked with what was happening in the story. I thought the characters were everything that I wanted and were written in a way that worked together. It was everything that I wanted and was glad I read this.

Review of A Deadly Draw by Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni’s A Deadly Draw (Thomas & Mercer) is an intense and emotional mystery that gradually pulled me in. As someone new to the Tracy Crosswhite series, I found the beginning a bit slow. There’s a lot of backstory and character history, so it took me some time to adjust. But once the story gained momentum, I found myself fully invested.

Tracy, struggling with PTSD, faces a terrifying challenge when a dangerous killer is released from prison due to a procedural oversight by the police department. As the killer begins targeting Tracy, the stakes become deeply personal, and the tension steadily builds throughout. Dugoni does an excellent job of keeping you on edge as the story progresses.

What stood out to me, though, was Lydia, a character with autism. It’s rare to see a disability represented so thoughtfully and positively in fiction. Lydia’s role brings real depth and heart to the narrative, making it much more than just a typical mystery.

Despite the slow start for a newcomer, A Deadly Draw ultimately became a rewarding read. It’s suspenseful, emotionally rich, and filled with compelling characters. Fans of the series will appreciate this installment, and even if you’re new, it’s worth sticking with. Thank you to NetGalley for providing this copy in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

This book is the 11th in a series (which I haven’t read previously), and it was both well-written and captivating. It left me wanting to dive into the earlier books. The story is fast-paced with plenty of twists, and I particularly enjoyed the character development. While much of the plot revolves around competitive shooting, I found myself skimming through some of the more detailed sections, as it felt a bit much at times. Overall, it was an engaging read!

A Dead Draw is a fast paced, pulse pounding, hold your breath and cross your fingers and hope for the best for Tracy.

This series is one of my all time favourites.

Tracy is dealing with her own personal trauma that include ghosts from her past.

When Erik Schmidt , a known killer , is released from prison on a technicality it becomes imperative that Tracy, Dan and their daughter return to their hometown of Cedar Grove.

Schmidt isnt far behind her.

Robert Dugoni shows the reader the vulnerable side of Tracy: her strengths and weaknesses.

The tension mounts with every page as Tracy lays her life on the line . She always does but this time its beyond the call of duty.

The rest of the journey I will leave to the reader but be warned its impossible to put this book down.

Its hard to believe this is Book 11 ( every book somehow gets better and better) and I cant wait to see what happens next in Tracy and Dan's life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the privilege of reading and reviewing A Dead Draw.

I am somewhat new to reading Robert Dugoni - and I have really enjoyed the 4 copies I’ve received from NetGalley.

This is only my second book of the Tracy series, but this was so good. Lots of tension and heart pounding through the las5 1/4 of the book.
I enjoy his character development and involvement in the story lines! I route for his characters to win in the end!
Will look forward to the next one!

4.5 stars

This is book 11 in the Tracy Crosswhite series, and I feel like I've visited old friends! This series has been very enjoyable, and I appreciate the growth in Tracy's character. She's still battling demons from past events, but with the help of her husband Dan she is progressing. She frustrates me at times, but I consider that a sign of how well she is written.

This mystery refers us back to Tracy's life as a competitive shooter, and I found that interesting as it's been talked about but not fully explored. The mystery is engaging, the villain is very bad, and the usual suspects are all there to help out our heroine, whether she thinks she needs help or not.

It's a good book and a good series and I highly recommend it.

A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni is the eleventh book of his Tracy Crosswhite series. It’s a police detective thriller/suspense novel.

I’ve really enjoyed this series over the years and I appreciate how Tracy’s character has changed and aged as the series has gone along. The return to Tracy’s roots with the competitive shooting was interesting to me, as my kids and I both participate in recreational shooting competitions. There’s quite a bit of technical explanation of her police qualifying and competitive shooting elements and, personally, I found these parts engaging and relatable.

I did like this one but I found myself getting increasingly frustrated with Tracy, and even Dan, as the story went on with some of their decisions. This made it hard to really enjoy the book. That being said, I will continue to recommend this series as a whole as it’s still one of my favorite detective series.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Another great thriller by Dugoni!
Erik is a suspect in two cases but suddenly is allowed to go free- and you. Know he will go after Tracy and/or her loved ones.
Tracy made a mistake during a shooting exercise and heads to their home to recoup… but with Erik on the loose she must stay alert and ready she knows he will come for her. Grab this exciting read!

Another great addition to the Tracy Crosswhite series. I really enjoyed the cat and mouse feel of this one between Tracy and Schmidt. Lydia was a great addition to the series as well.

Another great book with one of my favorite book cops, Tracy Crosswhite. The action starts on page 1 and never lets up until the end. She is haunted from someone who gets out of jail and turns her life upside down. Her husband Dan tries to help her by trying to get rid of her demons that still haunt her from her sisters murder years before.
Robert Dugoni is an excellent writer that I highly recommend, and I look forward to reading his next book.