Book 8 in the Tracy Crosswhite (TC) series.
Tracy returns from her maternity leave to find that her position is not available. She is instead offered a job as the Cold Case investigator. Rather than quit the force, Tracy recognizes that she will be doing families a service if she can solve the cold cases.
A few years earlier, a little girl, Elle Chin, goes missing from a corn maze. The father, a member of the Seattle PD, with a domestic abuse charge is a suspect, but he swears innocence. The ex-wife also claims innocence. Meanwhile, there is a woman that has gone missing while out jogging. This brings Tracy's attention to the homes surrounding the trail, specifically the Sprague brothers, and a dog walker, Bibby.
As Tracy investigates, she uncovers a horrific crime, all while trying to close the cold cases.
Another great TC book. I love this series! Well written. ( )

Tracy Crosswhite is a heckuva detective and Robert Dugoni is a heckuva writer. That's why I can't figure out why I didn't love the heck out of this book, like I have the previous volumes in the series. The prose is as solid and true-to-life as ever and the intertwining plots are exceptionally well-done. There are plenty of surprises. In this novel, Detective Crosswhite solves three different cases, two of which had been left unsolved by previous detectives (technically, one case is actually two unrelated victims with similar circumstances).

Upon reflection, I think I see two issues I had during my initial reading. First, there is a lot of dialog and reflection about Tracy's recent transition to being a working mother. While this is indeed an important perspective and does affect how she is dealing with her co-workers and cases, it seemed to really bog down the early chapters of the book. The second factor is that more pages than usual seem to be spent with apparent antagonists, rather than tracking them down. I didn't like spending that much time with these creeps. Scanning through the book again, I don't think these are actually major flaws and probably had more to do with my reactions than the writing itself.

This book is definitely aimed at readers that are already following the adventures of Tracy Crosswhite. That doesn't mean a new reader will be lost. Mr. Dugoni is too talented a writer to let that happen. But I would recommend reading an earlier book in the series before picking up this one. You won't be disappointed either way.

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. ( )

Tracy Crosswhite is my kind of hero. She's an intelligent caring woman and police detective with Seattle PD. After her supervisor moves her to Cold cases in a snarky move, she settles in and does what she does best never dreaming that the first few cases she reaches for will lead her to an amazing, horrific case. I love that she see's a counselor when the walls close in - we should all be so smart to take her lead.

This is a great book! ( )

Seattle PD's Tracy Crosswhite returns to work, only to find that all of the detective spots are filled and her adversarial boss, Captain Nolasco, assigns her to cold cases. As she is considering quitting, the retiring cold case detective says something that resonates with Tracy: that she will be a good successor because she cares so she digs in on a missing child case, a police officer's daughter, who goes missing during an ugly divorce case. Meanwhile, she gets to work on a current missing persons case with her former partner, Kinsington Rowe, because his partner is tied up in court. A woman never returns from a run, and the two start an intensive search, focused on residents in a neighborhood near a wooded park. There are two cold cases for missing prostitutes which Tracy begins to think may be tied together. Satisfying endings to both cases. ( )

In Her Tracks by Robert Dugoni is the eighth instalment in the Tracy Crosswhite series. However, it reads well as a standalone, filling the reader in on her past as the story develops. Tracy is a detective with the Seattle police department and has been put in charge of cold cases, an assignment she does not welcome gladly. When asked by her former partner to help with the disappearance of a young female jogger, she takes on that job as well. The woman was last seen on a forest trail. Tracy is also investigating the disappearance of a child who has not been seen for five years. Her parents were involved in a messy divorce and both are considered suspects. This police procedural deals with two completely different cases, which makes In Her Tracks a challenging and suspenseful read. The series portrays the ups and downs of police work, highlighting the dedication of detectives working difficult cases while trying to maintain a private life. Hopefully there will be more instalments by Robert Dugoni. Highly recommended. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. ( )