IN HER TRACKS

5 stars out of 5

When you've found a series you enjoy, opening the first page of the newest edition never fails to be a treat. That in mind, I set aside my practice of reading advance review copies from NetGalley in order of nearest release date and moved this one up a few notches just to make myself happy. Now I'm done, and yes, I am - in fact, I enjoyed this one a little bit more than most.

Detective Tracy Crosswhite, who's been on maternity leave and leave to deal with PTSD, gets back to work in the Violent Crimes Department of the Seattle Police Department. While she was gone, her much-disliked boss (the feeling is mutual) has brought in someone to fill in while she was gone and now claims her old job is no longer available. Instead, he offers her reassignment in the department's cold case unit, which he clearly hopes she'll turn down and resign. She's tempted to do just that, until she talks with the officer who's retiring and decides it might not be such a bad gig after all.

Immediately, she zeroes in on a case involving a five-year-old girl who disappeared in a Halloween corn maze while in her father's care. Both he and his ex-wife, the girl's mother, were suspects at the time (especially since the parents were almost vicious in their dislike of each other), but no charges were ever brought and the girl has remained missing. A second case, the disappearance of two local prostitutes, catches her eye as well. If those cases weren't enough, soon thereafter, Tracy's old partner Kinsington Rowe, asks for her help with  a current case of a female jogger who disappeared on or near a rather remote trail. It isn't long before her boss steps in and insists that she stick to her cold cases, but it's time enough for her to see some similarities between the missing jogger and the two missing hookers years earlier.

From that point on, there's plenty of action, twists and turns as Tracy and Kins do their investigative thing and bump up against some really nasty suspects. Tracy may be getting a little older (this is the eighth book in the series, after all), but she certainly hasn't lost her edge. If it matters, I think this one can be read as a standalone for those unfamiliar with the series - but I'll add, as is my custom, that it's always best to start at the beginning. As for me, I'll just say thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review another one. Good job once again!

In Her Tracks by Robert Dugoni (Thomas & Mercer, April 2021); 383 pp.