What She Found by Robert Dugoni

Book Blurb:

Solving a decades-old disappearance sets Tracy Crosswhite on a dangerous collision course with the past in a pulse-pounding novel by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

Detective Tracy Crosswhite has agreed to look into the disappearance of investigative reporter Lisa Childress. Solving the cold case is an obsession for Lisa’s daughter, Anita. So is clearing the name of her father, a prime suspect who became a pariah. After twenty-five years, all Anita wants is the truth—no matter where it leads.

For Tracy, that means reopening the potentially explosive investigations Lisa was following on the dark night she vanished: an exposé of likely mayoral graft; the shocking rumors of a reserved city councilman’s criminal sex life; a drug task force scandal compromising the Seattle PD; and an elusive serial killer who disappeared just as mysteriously as Lisa.

As all the pieces come together, it becomes clear that Tracy is in the midst of a case that will push her loyalties and her resilience to the limit. What she uncovers will come with a greater price than anyone feared.

My Review:

What I love about the Tracy Crosswhite series? This is Book 9 and could still be read as a standalone. I popped into this series with Book 7 A Cold Trail, and then read Book 8 In Her Tracks. I feel I know Tracy pretty well, although as a complex, intelligent detective in Seattle there is always more that can be discovered. Lisa has been relegated to Cold Cases after a couple little disagreements with her former superior.

This entry to the series has decorated Detective Crosswhite looking into the disappearance of investigative reporter Lisa Childress at the behest of her daughter, Anita, who was two years old at the time of her mother’s disappearance. After 25 years and the circumstances surrounding her departure though, there are few possibilities—none with what would look to have a positive outcome.

Lisa was full-tilt into an extremely dangerous investigation that certainly pointed to the circumstance of finding herself at risk. She was meeting someone in the middle of the night that might have exposed corruption within the department, a murder, and a crooked drug task force. It was Lisa’s husband, however, that became the local police focal point and they looked no further following scrutiny of their family life.

Chief of Police Marcella Weber may be a stumbling block in Crosswhite’s digging into the Childress case as her objective is positive public opinion and council approval and the desire to investigate only those cases where new DNA evidence is found that might lead to a resolution of the case.

Crosswhite still maintains a strong bond with recent partners from the Homicide Division, all strong support characters as well as maintaining a happy home life with a successful, supportive hubby and sweet baby girl. But she has a history and Crosswhite is driven to find the answers to the Childress case whether she secures approval or not.

I loved the direction it took, well-plotted, and the conclusion is very satisfying.

520 floating bridge into Seattle — Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, Seattle, WA

Dugoni’s novels are well-paced and deliver leads that keep the reader engaged. I always enjoy references to the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge better known as the 520 bridge, bringing back memories of the sensation of riding over it on my motorcycle. These narratives are always intelligent offering learning opportunities as well as incite to strong characters and motives. Easy to invest in Crosswhite, follow her discoveries, look for the next, and applaud her victories.

I’ve also read the Charles Jenkins series (even started with Book 1 The Eighth Sister!) and now I’m thrilled to see a new Dugoni book come up, whether one of either series or a standalone; a go-to author. This is one you won’t want to miss! Currently on pre-order.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

[goodreads]

Book Details:

Genre: Murder, Women Sleuths, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: ‎ 1542008328
ASIN: B08ZMWPP9Q
Print Length: 343 pages
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite police series set in Seattle, which has sold more than 8 million books worldwide. He is also the author of The Charles Jenkins espionage series, the David Sloane legal thriller series, and several stand-alone novels including The 7th Canon, Damage Control, and the literary novels, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell – Suspense Magazine’s 2018 Book of the Year, for which Dugoni’s narration won an AudioFile Earphones Award and the critically acclaimed, The World Played Chess; as well as the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. Several of his novels have been optioned for movies and television series. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and a three-time winner of the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He has also been a finalist for many other awards including the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award.