A Dead Draw

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, would haunt Tracy for twenty years and keep her searching for answers.

Although a suspect, Edmund House, was convicted of Sarah’s abduction and murder, new evidence later led Tracy to have sufficient doubts to warrant an appeal, resulting in Edmund’s release. Except Tracy was wrong, and Edmund was guilty—a murderous monster who would be killed himself soon after being released.

Now House’s prison mate, Erik Schmidt, jailed for two cold case murders but recently released on a technicality, is out to avenge Edmund, who had told him all about Tracy and her family. Currently working on cold cases, Tracy had visited Schmidt in prison and was convinced she was in the presence of a cold-blooded psychopath and is determined to find a way to prove his guilt. However, when she starts having nightmares about both House and Schmidt and fails a police shooting test, she decides to take some time off with her family by returning to her hometown 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. Tracy and Sarah were both state winners in Cowboy Action Shooting competitions when they were teenagers, and it was after such a competition that Sarah disappeared. While she’s in Cedar Grove, Tracy looks up her old mentor, Mason Pettibone, who introduces her to his granddaughter Lydia. She is a highly intelligent teenager on the autism spectrum who 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. Midway 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 is 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. It 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.

With thanks to Thomas & Mercer for a copy to read.