Tracy Crosswhite, her husband Dan have returned with their daughter Daniella to their hometown of Cedar Grove, a place that holds as many bad memories for Tracy as good ones. They are living in the house that belonged to Dan's parents. It's a temporary stay while their home near Seattle is remodeled. Tracy is on maternity leave but she can't help getting drawn into a case at the request of the interim sheriff, who was the sheriff in the first book, My Sister's Grave. In my review of that book, I said that I wished he'd been more fleshed out. I got my wish in this book as we more of him this time around.

Both Tracy and Dan, but especially Tracy, have grown so much during the series. Tracy is coping better with what happened to her family, has become more emotionally secure, and has gotten better, though not perfect, at communicating. Now she has to learn how to be a mother, a parent, and a working parent. Helping the sheriff allows her to test drive the latter. It also puts her in conflict, again, with some of the townspeople. Meanwhile, Dan has taken a law case representing a local businessman who is suing the town. Oddly, that doesn't put him at odds with the townspeople the way that Tracy's poking into murders new and old does.

Dugoni slowly brings these storylines together. At times I was sure I knew where he was going with the story, and then he'd surprise me. One thing that delighted me was seeing the family that Tracy has created for herself and how they fit with her marital family. She and Dan, like most parents, have to figure out their new life and the necessary changes and they get advice and help from friends and colleagues. I also liked that Dugoni didn't gloss over the difficulties, not just in adjusting to their changes, but also returning to one's hometown. Reconnecting with people you grew up with can be challenging even without a murderer on the loose. Add in a new murder, possible connections to an old murder, and the challenges of a small town adapting to a changing economic landscape and all together, and Tracy and Dan have their hands full.

"A Cold Trail" was a solid and satisfying story. Full of character development, action, emotions, surprises, layered story lines, and atmospheric writing, it's entertaining and engaging. If you haven't read the earlier books, this one will stand on its own just fine. But you'll better appreciate the growth and development of the characters if you start at the beginning.

Seattle violent crimes detective Tracy Crosswhite, her attorney husband Dan O’Leary and two month old daughter Danielle return to their hometown of Cedar Grove in <i>A Cold Trail </i>. Tracy is on maternity leave and their Redmond house is being renovated.
It isn’t long before Dan picks up a legal case dealing with the town trying to force the sale of a long term business in Cedar Grove. But hey, that’s okay. However when the acting police chief asks Tracy to look into the recent murder of a young woman, well, that seems to be a different story; at least for Dan. At least author Robert Dugoni soon gives Dan cause to regret his jerkiness.
Tracy is asked to look into the murder as the number one suspect seems to be the current Police Chief. The same man who was the number one suspect in the murder of a young woman 26 years ago. A murder preceding that of Tracy’s younger sister by a few months and was eventually decided to have been done by the same man; thus clearing the future police chief. Except now it looks like the police chief’s murdered wife was looking into that old murder involving her husband.
After going through so much to finally know for sure who murdered her sister, Tracy can not stand the idea of the wrong person being blamed for a murder or for the true murderer to escape. At the same time, she is torn about leaving her new baby, even though she and Dan have hired a nanny who seems to be working out really well. The fact is, Tracy is not sure she wants to be going back to work after her maternity leave is up. After all, when Tracy was younger she dreamed about being the stay- at- home mother of three.
Dugoni handled Tracy’s maternal and work worries with sensitivity. He is such a terrific writer of the police procedurals, sometimes with a strong courtroom facet. In <i>A Cold Trail </i> Dan’s court case is difficult to understand, starting out with dry motions before crossing with Tracy’s investigation of multiple murders.
I didn’t understand why Dugoni left a murder attempt on Tracy without further investigation or hardly even further mention.
Before Tracy gets very far in her investigations, she realizes there are three murders that are all tied up in her case, one in 1993, 2015 and 2019. Dugoni provides flashbacks to give a different perspective on what has happened, a device that is neither overused nor overdone.
This is number 7 in the Crosswhite series, and the first one to return to the town of Cedar Grave in some time. Maybe now, with the last of its murders exposed and solved, there can be true recovery for the town.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Tracy Crosswhite is back in this thriller/mystery by Robert Dugoni. Tracy has become a mother and is on maternity leave when she is pulled back in to a pair of murders that are decades apart, but are they connected? For fans of the Crosswhite series, this action-packed installment brings Tracy back to her roots while she adjusts to motherhood and what that means to her career and identity.
***I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review of the book***

A Cold Trail is the seventh installment of the Tracy Crosswhite series. In this story she has returned to her hometown of Cedar Grove. This is a place that holds painful memories; a place where her sister was murdered. Today she is returning with her husband and daughter for a legal case that her husband is working. Of course Tracy runs into an old friend and finds herself embroiled in an investigation. The murderer is out there, and doesn't like her involvement, so unsurprisingly Tracy finds herself at risk.

I haven't read any other books in the series, and didn't fell confused or lost about anything so I believe it works well as a standalone. Having said that though, I still wish I was more familiar with her backstory. If I decide to continue this series I will likely go back to book one and start from the beginning. But that could be the OCD in me.

Thank you to the publisher, Thomas and Mercer, to NetGalley, and to the author for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of A Cold Trail thanks to Robert Dugoni and Netgalley.
Now it's time to let you all know what I thought of this latest thriller.

A Cold Trail is Robert Dugoni's seventh Tracy Crosswhite thriller. It is published by Thomas & Mercer Publishers, an Amazon imprint. When Tracy and her husband, Dan, move back to their childhood home, they are both caught up in the town's dark history. But when local journalist Kimberly Armstrong is found dead, Tracy is asked by Sheriff Roy Calloway to look into her death. Dan is worried that with Tracy being a new mother that she will put the life of their child in danger. Crosswhite is sure she can figure out who is behind the death. Dan has his own case to deal with, as he represents a local business owner who believes he is being railroaded out of his storefront by the new mayor.

As Tracy continues to investigate she realizes Kimberly Armstrong had been looking into a past cold case. In 1993 Heather Johansen was murdered. The case had seemingly been solved since the man who murdered Tracy's sister was also associated with Johansen's death. Armstrong was onto something. Something that got her and possibly others killed. Now the killer is closing in on Tracy, putting her and her infant daughter in the crosshairs.

This novel was a fun time. I read it in one day and was sad to see it end. There is something about a small town with a dark past that makes for great entertainment. I love Tracy's hometown of Cedar Grove and I am always happy when Dugoni travels us back there. There were a lot of twists in this novel that were revealed throughout. I have read every full-length novel and usually cannot wait for the next one. This story is no different. A fantastic book with a very satisfying finale.

A Cold Trail was five-stars worth of suspense that kept me up late at night. It was another entertaining chapter in this often tense series. Tracy Crosswhite is still one of my favorite characters in crime thriller fiction.

Because there is always time to read,

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Tracy Crosswhite is back for book number seven in the series and I was more than ready to see her again. With her are her attorney husband, Dan, and her two month old baby girl. The family is back in Tracy and Dan's hometown due to their Seattle home being under renovation. But there is no rest for either of them, as Dan is representing a client in Cedar Grove while Tracy takes on an investigation there, also.

Dan and Tracy's work intertwines as a spider web of events and murders from twenty six years ago, five years ago, and recently, seem to be connected in various ways. We spend time with Dan as he does his work and with Tracy as she tries to understand who is involved in three murders. Things really aren't very clear and get more muddled as Dan and Tracy do their investigations.

The ending of the book left things open for us to have more Tracy Crosswhite books. I want to see more of Tracy, Dan and their little baby. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC.

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded down to 4 stars

This is the seventh installment in Robert Dugoni’s ‘Tracy Crosswhite’ police procedural mystery series. I am so pleased to say that this series just keeps getting better and better. This book has the most complex plotting in the series so far. Tracy and the cast of characters continue to grow as people, and I am interested to see where life takes them all.

This book is set primarily in Tracy and Dan’s remote hometown of Cedar Grove, WA. They’ve come back to the town while their Seattle area home is undergoing remodeling. Tracy is quickly pulled into a decade’s old mystery that could put herself, her husband Dan, and their two-month old daughter in danger. Tracy is at a crossroads that many working moms face. Will she give up her career in the Seattle police force and become a stay at home Mom? Will that be enough for her? Can she find a way to balance her guilt about not being will Daniella 100% of the time with her need to continue her career? The struggle is real.

The mystery centers around a decades old death of teenager who was killed about the time that Tracy’s sister Sarah was killed; and a recent death of the teenager’s best friend, Kimberly, in a house fire. Dan has more of a storyline in this book. He’s trying to help a local business retain ownership of their property on Market Street. The city is trying to condemn the building and take it over in a broad sweep of renovations of local businesses. This has much more courtroom drama than past books, and Dan’s storyline isn’t an afterthought. I would call it a full-fledged ‘co-plot’.

I think that it is best to read this series in order. The recurring character’s background stories deepens in each book. I would recommend this series to mystery fans, especially those aficionados of police procedurals. This was a great story that left me guessing whodunit until almost the end. Way to go Mr. Dugoni!

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Thomas & Mercer; and the author, Robert Dugoni, for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dugoni has done it again with the newest edition to his Traci Crosswhite series! Fans will not want to miss this latest thrill ride!

Tracy Crosswhite hasn’t been to her hometown of Cedar Grove since she came for the retrial of her sister’s murder. When her husband, Dan, wants to com back to vacation in his parents’ old house while their home in Seattle is getting remodeled, she thinks it might be a nice little rest for them and their new baby. Upon her arrival back in Cedar Grove, she remembers the memories of what the town means to her and the history she will never be able to escape. While Dan is representing a local merchant in town trying to keep his business, Tracy is asked by the local department to look into a new case that has ties to a decades old cold case. The more Tracy looks into the case, the more entangled it gets stirring up feelings of her own haunted past and the hard times Cedar Grove has had to endure. Things are not as simple as they once were for Tracy; now she has her baby to consider and how far she is willing to go to protect those she loves.

Robert Dugoni is being called by some as one of the best crime novelists in the market and for good reason. His Tracy Crosswhite series is by far one of my very favorites and this latest installment ranks right up there. It is going to be next to impossible for him to top the first in the series, which hasn’t happened yet, and I just don’t think any will ever beat it. That being said, this is an excellent addition to the series. I love seeing the dynamic of Tracy and Dan change with the addition of their baby, Tracy loves being a new mother but she can’t put her instincts and love of being a detective behind her. When she is asked to look into this case, it brings up all the old memories of what happened to her sister. If she can help bring closure to a family, then she has to go for it because she knows what it feels like to go for years wondering if you really know the truth or not. Dugoni has found a way to write characters that never make me question if they are doing the right thing; how he writes them is exactly how I picture them. I loved the addition of the Irish nanny, she had just the right amount of spunk to brighten the room in the tense moments. Even though this story is set in Cedar Grove, Dugoni has managed to bring in a few of our favorite characters from Seattle.

This may be the 7th in the Crosswhite series but I for one hope there are many more to come. If this is your first time to pick up a Dugoni book, it can be enjoyed without reading the others but I would highly recommend starting with the first in the series to know the full back-story with all of the characters to get the most enjoyment. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a great suspense thriller with great characters, a tight story, and an ending that will leave you thirsting for more.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The 7th book in the Tracy Crosswhite series and it was as good as the others. This one focuses on Dan and Tracy and what is going on in each of their lives. For me, Dan's case had too much legal/business technicalities, but as with this author's other books, there is a reason for everything! Faz and Vera were in this one and they are as awesome as ever. There was a new character, Therese, who also added to the story. Though I guess the "bad guy" right away, the details were woven together so that I was surprised at the end. I would recommend this one, but would caution the reader to begin at the first book. There is so much backstory and character development you would be missing out if you didn't.

It's always good to have a new Tracy Crosswhite book to dip into. Tracy and Dan now have a new baby girl, Daniella. They have temporarily moved to their old home town while their house is being remodeled. The town is undergoing a major renovation and new businesses are popping up everywhere. Dan takes a case of a business owner who is being forced to sell to the city under the revitalization process.

Tracy meanwhile takes on a case of a sheriff's wife found dead in a house fire under suspicious circumstances. The sheriff is also implicated in an older murder of one of Tracy's classmates. The investigation takes her back to the murder of her sister, Sarah. Tracy knows everyone involved and the investigation brings up old memories of her sister's death. It also puts her life in danger as someone takes shots at her and her Irish nanny.

The hunt for the killer leads her into Dan's case and the connections are troubling. What is going on? This is a complicated case that takes all of Tracy's skill to solve. Although this can be read as a stand alone, it is better to have read the previous books. This one involves a lot of history.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Book Review: A Cold Trail (Tracy Crosswhite #7) by Robert Dugoni
(Published by Thomas & Mercer)

5 Stars!

1993, Cedar Grove, Washington. Heather Johansen wiped her tears and the driving rain that blurred her vision and ran down her face....

In "Close to Home", Book 5, Tracy and her team at the Violent Crimes Section of the Seattle Police Department dealt with the senseless death of an African American boy, the drug epidemic landing very close to home, and delved into the workings of the U.S. Navy's criminal justice system. Tracy expresses her disappointment as she fails to become pregnant.

In "A Steep Price", Book 6, Robert Dugoni tackles, among others, touchy, emotional subjects: Arranged marriages common in India and South Asia, and related honor killings. Tracy's teammate Faz's career is threatened and Tracy is pregnant and fearful that a new hire is being groomed to take her place.

In "A Cold Trail", Book 7, a crime /legal thriller which can be read as a standalone (along with all of the other books in the series), the author takes us back to where it all started, six months before the disappearance of Tracy's sister, Sarah.

The 1992 cold case of Heather Johansen is compounded nearly three decades later by the suspicious deaths of two persons who were apparently looking into the unsolved murder. One, the wife of Cedar Grove's police chief was Heather's best friend back then; the other, a criminal defense attorney from Montana was hired by Heather's family to look into her death.

Living temporarily in Cedar Grove pending the completion of the renovation and expansion of their home in Seattle, Tracey and Dan are blissful with the birth of their daughter, Daniella. Tagging along along gleefully - their two 140-pound Rhodesian mastiffs, Sherlock and Rex.

Away from the madding crowd, the lawyer-new dad, "Mr. Optimism", finds his hands full. "You need a license to buy a dog, to drive a car. Hell, you even need a license to catch fish. But they'll let any butt-reaming asshole be a father."

As Tracey, on maternity leave, gets involved with the Cedar Grove Police Dept (which turns out to be at great peril to her own family), Dan takes on a pretty complex case of a devious, elaborate expropriation scheme - the acquisition, pennies to the dollar, of prime property in Cedar Grove's main street.

How does the author tie a disconnected financial real estate scam with unsolved murders? You'd never guess whodunnit!

Tracey's reliable SPD buddies Faz, wife Vera, and Kins "watch the six" of their beleaguered colleague and her family.

But will Tracey's role at the Cedar Grove PD be a little more than a respite as a temp?

Robert Dugoni's timeline in the series written from 2014 to the present is quite remarkable, even prescient. Some other writers' protagonists never age, book after book in a series, and in the process, lose that emotional, real-life connection with readers.

But not Tracey Crosswhite. And although some readers may find Book 7 decidedly less intense than a few of the other preceding installments, a Robert Dugoni reader can sense the master storyteller shifting gears in a good way.

Tracey wiped a tear. "I think I'm home, Dan. I think we both finally made it home."

Highly recommended!

Review based on an Advance Reader's Copy provided by NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author.

This was such a good book! It kept me reading. The mystery behind each crime always keeps your thinking! I was not aware this was part of a series but was ok to read as a stand alone. I will be looking into more work by Robert Dugoni! I truly enjoyed this book!

This is book #7 in a crime series with Seattle police detective, Tracy Crosswhite.

I came across this series in early 2018 and I highly recommend it. I suggest starting at the very beginning and reading the first book- My Sister’s Grave which gives the backstory on how Tracy Crosswhite came to be a detective. Tracy is haunted by the murder of her sister Sarah and leaves her job as a high school teacher to join the force and seek justice for her sister and others.

The subsequent books are all different cases that Tracy Crosswhite is asked to help solve. Each book has been amazing and I love Tracy’s character. It is hard for me to find a series that keeps me interested, especially one that is seven books in, but I continue to be blown away. I always look forward to a new Dugoni book!

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this advance reading copy.

Another good one in the Crosswhite series. I admit after book 6 that I thought it was time to put Tracy to bed, but I feel that Mr. Dugoni brought the series back on track with book 7. We find Tracy with some decisions to make about retiring or being a stay-at-home mom. Her and Dan go back to Cedar Grove for a while and Tracy gets brought in to help investigate some old and new murders in her home town. Dan has more book time and I enjoyed catching up with Faz and Vera. As I said, another good one.

** Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest opinion.**

A Cold Trail is the 7th book in the Tracy Crosswhite series by Robert Dugoni.
It's a stand alone type of story but like with all series you will always get a little more out of the series if you read all of them.
A Cold Trail is filled with twist and turns throughout the story and will keep you guessing until the end (unless you are better at guessing "who dunnit" than me).
Great writing style with the perfect flow to keep the reader captivated from the first to the last page.

This is the seventh book in the series. I read the first one when it first came out, but this book held its own as a standalone for the most part.

This book follows Tracy, a detective that has moved back to Cedar Grove, Washington because her husband, who is a lawyer is working on a case there. While trying to adjust to life as a stay at home mom, Tray finds herself missing her job When the local chief of police comes to Tracy is with case he would like her to look at, Tracy's husband is not too pleased. However, Tracy feels compelled to accept as she feels the people who have died deserve to have their killer found. Soon, it is discovered that her husband's case and her search for the killer might intertwine. Will the people of Cedar grove allow them to drudge up the past in order to solve the cases they have now.

I found the beginning of the book to be a bit slow moving. there was a lot of speculation as to what was happening and who might be involved in the two different cases. However, once things go rolling, the action kept moving making it harder to put down the book. There is a definite conclusion to this book, however since it was part of series, it was hard to believe that the main character was ever in any real danger.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I have been reading Tracy Crosswhite novels since the first one came out. I immediately fell in love with Tracy, Dan, Faz and the rest of the great cast of characters and have never missed a single entry in the series.

In this one Tracy, her husband Dan and their baby daughter Daniella are staying in their home town of Cedar Grove while they are waiting for their home in Seattle to be remodeled. When the former chief of police asks Tracy to help him clear the name of the current chief. Though Tracy loves spending time with her baby part of her is missing work. There is also the fact that part of the case involves the murder of her dead sister Sarah's friend who was found dead just months before Sarah disappeared. Once again Tracy uncovers the dark side of Cedar Cove.

Another solid read in the fab Tracy Crosswhite series from a reliable author! Tracy Crosswhite is a well-developed and relatable character. It was great to see a softer domestic side of her as a new mom and I connected with her and her internal struggles throughout the story. The plot was a little predictable but I didn't mind as the author does a fantastic job of getting us invested in the characters. This book can easily be read as a standalone as plenty of backstory is provided, but it would be beneficial to at least read the first book in the series (My Sister's Grave) as it is significantly referenced throughout this book. Overall, an excellent continuation in the journey of Seattle's most talented homicide detective, always leaving me in anticipation for the next chapter.

It's so good to have Tracy Crosswhite active again in another well-plotted, surprise-you-to-the-very-end police procedural by Robert Dugoni!!

Tracy has returned home to Cedar Grove, Washington with her husband, lawyer Dan O'Leary and their two month old daughter, Danielle. Coming home is difficult for Tracy given that her younger sister, Sarah, disappeared when she was 18 while Tracy was away at college. The only other time she's been back was to convict her sister's murderer. Now, they are staying in Dan's family house where he was raised, but only until their home is remodeled and they can return to Seattle.

Tracy is a detective for Seattle PD's Violent Crimes Section, on maternity leave and enjoying her time with Daniella but also missing her work. Her father's best friend Rob Calloway, chief of police in Cedar Grove for over 30 years, retired, and now called back to act in an interim capacity, asks her to help him with a case. Tracy, conflicted between her personal history, new motherhood, and desire for justice, agrees.

Little did she know that the fresh look at past events will stir others to action as well. Someone doesn't want the past disturbed, and isn't about killing to keep it so. Can Rob and Tracy find out what the truth is, and who is behind the latest deaths before one of them is killed as well?

Dugoni is in his element with this fast-paced, taut, suspense. And as a fan of Tracy Crosswhite, I loved the opportunity to see her in action again, learning more layers of the characters living in Cedar Grove.

This book gets a 4-star review from me! My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Two months after the birth of her daughter, homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite and her lawyer husband, Dan, temporarily move back to their childhood hometown while she is on maternity leave and their Seattle home is being renovated. There, the police chief asks Tracy to look into a few mysterious deaths, including a young girl who was found murdered shortly before her own sister disappeared all those years ago. Meanwhile, Dan is suing the town on behalf of a local business owner.

Dugoni is adept at weaving multiple plots throughout, and he has once again delivered a well thought-out installation. While each book in this series could easily be read as a stand-alone, it certainly isn’t recommended. To do that, the reader would miss out on the backstories and relationships the author has carefully developed between the characters, which kind of serves as its own storyline, and gives the reader a richer understanding of the recurring characters and their motives. As always, I’m looking forward to the next installation.

NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer kindly provided me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.