The fourth book in the Tracy Crosswhite series is a must read, top notch thriller with twists at every turn. This is Dugoni at his best!

Tracy Crosswhite finds herself called out when a woman’s body is found submerged in a crab pot in Puget Sound. This is not going to be an easy case. Before they can do anything else, Tracy and her team must first identify the victim who has gone to great lengths to keep her identity a secret. This raises the question, who and what was she running from. Following the evidence the team is lead to believe that their Jane Doe might be a woman who disappeared several months earlier climbing Mt. Rainier with her husband, who was a suspect in her disappearance. Without a body on the mountain, it was hard to make a case against the husband. All this hits close to home with Tracy as she remembers the disappearance of her sister and how that case consumed her life. Each clue brings about another one that conflicts with the previous, making the investigation that much harder. Tracy is more determined than ever to find the truth of what happened and is determined not to let anything get in her way.

Robert Dugoni is now one of my top favorite authors with the Tracy Crosswhite novels as one of my most recommended series. The first in the series is my favorite, but The Trapped Girl gives it a run for its money. This story goes back and forth at times between Tracy and what is happening with her and then to Andrea Strickland, the woman they think they found dead. This can sometimes be confusing but Dugoni has found a way to write both scenes without losing the reader at any point. These are the stories I love to sit down and devour in one siting if I have the time. With two boys at home it took me a few days to read but I loved every page. I’m can definitely say that a Dugoni novel has never bored me and a Tracy Crosswhite novel keeps me up well into the night. Dugoni has found a way to write characters that are easily likable (Tracy), and characters that you can’t help but despise, (Nolasco, Fields). I really hope this isn’t the last in the series. There is so much more I could see happening with Tracy and the squad. Her relationship with Dan is continuing to pay out nicely and the rest of the squad has developed a dynamic that is hard to find in other books. I know it is early in the year but I feel certain I can say this will be in my best of the year list, it will be hard for another book to top this one. I can’t say that this is the best in the series, the first one is one of my top books of all time and that’s just hard to beat. But this one is a very close second. The way I know a book is one of the best, like My Sister’s Grave, is several years later I can think about that book and recall most of it. Many of the books I read fade from my memory within the next year. I am sure The Trapped Girl will stick around and be one I recommend for a long time.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat guessing at what is going to happen next. There is some mild language that may not be suitable for young readers.

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

“The Trapped Girl” is the 4th installment in Robert Dugoni’s Tracy Crosswhite series. And while I have truly enjoyed this book’s predecessors, “The Trapped Girl” is my favorite in this series to date. The storyline is unique and suspenseful and offers numerous twists and turns along the way.

The story begins with the discovery of a young woman’s body trapped inside a crab pot in the Puget Sound. As the investigation unfolds, Tracy and her fellow detectives in Seattle’s Violent Crimes Section, piece together clues to discover the woman’s identity. The investigation soon leads them to Mount Rainier, were the woman identified as Andrea Strickland went missing weeks earlier. Previously presumed dead, the investigation raises more questions than it answers. Could Andrea Strickland have faked her own death only to have met her demise shortly thereafter? Complicating events even further for Tracy and her team, is the internal dispute over jurisdiction with Pierce County’s Major Crimes Unit.

Snippets from Andrea Strickland’s life leading up to her mysterious disappearance--and eventual death--are sprinkled strategically throughout the book. Adding a layer of depth to the story, these glimpses into Andrea’s life gives the reader some much needed insight into her troubled relationship with her husband Graham. But don’t be fooled into believing that this murder case can be easily figured out. Because despite evidence to the contrary, nothing is quite as simple as it might initially seem.

Robert Dugoni is truly the master of suspense. Right from the very start, “The Trapped Girl” grabbed ahold of me and I was reluctant to ever let go. The story’s unique premise is not only captivating, but it’s executed in a smart and detailed manner, featuring characters that are well-developed and complex. While “The Trapped Girl” can be read as a standalone (as is the case with each book in this series), I would strongly urge you to read each and every one.

This is the 4th book in the series and I'm late to the party I wish I had read the previous books although this can be read as a stand alone book,but I liked Tracy and would enjoy reading more books with her as the central character.This was twisty and interesting to read and the pace was good.I enjoyed it and would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A fine addition to the Tracey Crosswhite series. Robert Dugoni hasn't let me down yet. I finished the book about an hour ago and it's still on my brain, working out all the twists and turns it took. Just when I thought I had it figured out as I read, it went in a completely new direction. Bravo! I look forward to our next journey with Tracey Crosswhite.

A teenager doing some illegal crab fishing has come across something very disturbing: a body caught in a crab pot. Not exactly what he expected when he hauled the heavy trap from the water. The body is a woman, and she hasn't been down there long, likely only a few days. Her being found so quickly is just down to fate... Her murderer probably intended for her never to be seen again. They soon believe the body is a woman that disappeared several months ago while climbing a mountain with her husband... but she clearly didn't fall to her death.

We see some chapters from the perspective of Andrea, the woman who was thought to have perished on the mountain. A bit of an introvert and a voracious reader, she'd fairly recently married a man after only a short time of dating. He pressures her into starting a new business with him and to put a large amount of money into it. Though her late parents left her a trust, they've specified how it is to be used and starting a new business isn't one of them. He seems to resent that fact, and gets more manipulative and angry as the story goes on.

Haunted by memories of her sister who died much too young, Tracey has a special attachment to this case. She balances work with her thriving relationship with her boyfriend Dan, and I loved the little glimpses we got into their happy life. The rest of the book is filled with twists, turns, suspense, police procedure, and fantastic character development. I'm quite attached to them all... even Rex and Sherlock. Highly recommended.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

The Trapped Girl was a great suspense book! It had me questioning the who-do-it throughout the book. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised to see Robert Dugoni giving us plenty of twists and a great cast of characters!

The story begins with a young man driving his boat to retrieve his illegal crab pots. What he catches is more than he bargains for. There is a dead woman in one of his pots and he immediately calls 911. Detective Tracy Crosswhite and her partner Kinsington Rowe become the lead detectives. After great detective work, they find the identity of the woman to later discover that she might be someone else. A woman by the name of Andrea Strickland. What makes matters worse, is that Andrea is believed to have died while climbing Mount Rainier with her husband Graham weeks before.

Andrea and Graham were having marital problems and Andrea had a trust fund she inherited when her parents died. Her husband is going through financial problems and he has many debts after his new business tanks. So Graham has a great motive to murder her. Tracy and her team have to determine the truth and the real identity of the corpse found in the crab pot.

Despite this being the 4th installment in the series, the author gives us plenty of relevant details about the past of the main characters.

Tracy is a woman in her forties. She has found love in her childhood friend Dan. Her sister was murdered about twenty years ago and cases involving missing/death females become personal to her. She has a great instinct and she has an amazing team. Kins, Faz and Del were all great.

I really need to go back and read the prior books in this series although it's not necessary. Just for pure enjoyment.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The newest installment in the Tracy Crosswhite series. A great book, too! I love this series by Robert Dugoni. In this book, Tracy and her fellow detectives are investigating the murder of a woman whose body is found in a crab pot. Entries from the victim's diary is interwoven into this story, which really does add another layer to the story. It gave an insight into her mind and feelings. There are a lot of twists and turns, with an ending I did not see coming. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves the other Tracy Crosswhite books and those who love suspenseful thrillers. This one is hard to put down.

Prepare for the unexpected!...

Whenever we start reading a new author we never know what to expect, do we? Well may I suggest that with Robert Dugoni, the reader should prepare for the unexpected!

From the outset, the pace is fast which certainly draws the reader into the plot. We learn that an unknown woman's body turns up mysteriously in a crab pot in Puget Sound. The case is investigated by Detective Tracy Crosswhite from the Seattle Violent Crimes Section.

Is this missing woman the person whom she appears to be? All the clues are so misleading, plus there is an additional twist as it reminds Tracy of her missing sister, an unsolved mystery from the past, so the reader can identify with Tracy's mixed emotions.

The ingredients in the plot thicken with elements of greed, abuse, intrigue, jealousy and ambiguity. I was kept guessing until the very end, so thank you Mr. Dugoni I can't wait for your next offering. This was a five-star read!

By Galadriel

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review

Another Detective Terry Crosswhite Novel Had All I Wanted in a Mystery/Thriller — Well Worth a Read
It is a quite morning on Puget Sound. A high school boy is out on the water illegally crabbing. His line appears to be snagged. A crab pot appears that is not his own. It is so heavy; his boat almost tips over. The pot is not his, but then he sees a human hand. Seattle Police Department Detective Terry Crosswhite and her team catch this death. The identity finally is determined through implants. Investigating this identity shows that it is quite shallow. From this point on, the story proceeds at a quick pace. Each discovered fact sometimes answers a question but usually raises more questions. This novel gripped my imagination so much that between reads I would think about what scenario supported the fact currently revealed. The twists and turns worked well in the story line. One was telegraphed, but I soon realized that was probably planned by the author which made the eventual revelation all the more unexpected. It worked well. Besides twists and turns based upon the investigation, the author stirred the plot up with problems of police jurisdiction.
The author weaves in a second narrative by the victim that filled in what had been discovered in the main story line. This gave me the reader an insight not available to the heroine and her team. This helped capture my imagination even more.
The B-story also is quite rich. I have not read the two intervening novels yet so I was only really familiar with her boyfriend, Dan O’Leary. From the start to the finish of this novel, this relationship grows. This story is well woven into the main story lines and, for me, added more poignancy to the story. The B-story also is very rich in the interaction between Terry Crosswhite and her partner, Kinsington Rowe, the other members of her Violent Crimes Section, Delmo Castigliano, Vic Fazaio, Billy Williams, and her Captain, Johnny Nolasco. While most of this interaction was part of the main story line, it did provide an excellent picture of her relationship and strong bond she has with the members of her team. This B-story line helped enrichen the novel.
The ending was quite satisfactory and tied up all of the loose ends. Based upon the above, I rate this novel with five stars. If you have not read any of the previous novels, this novel is a good place to start. If this is a series that you read, you will not be disappointed.
I have received a free kindle version of this novel through NetGalley from Thomas & Mercer with a request for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this novel early.

In the acknowlegements for The Trapped Girl by Robert Dugoni he thanks his Developmental Editor Charlotte Herscher for making him an infinitely better writer. If she really is to thank I add my thanks to his. Personally I enjoyed each of the three previous books in the Tracy Crosswhite series, but this one was on a whole new level. Not only did I enjoy spending time in the company of characters I've come to adore (Tracy and Dan, Kins, Del and Faz) but having recently visited Portland and Seattle for the first time I also loved the setting. I could visualise the places and loved the mention of Powells bookshop and the bookish references scattered throuhout. Unlike the others in the series this one seemed to contain less killing but somehow more suspense. As this awesome story progressed Dugoni took me through a whole cast of suspects and with each new one I was more convinced I'd figured out the killer. I hadn't. Needless to say I wasnt expecting the case to be solved the way it was...a real surprise and I loved the epilogue which capped off what had been a thoroughly engrossing read from start to finish.
If you have read and enjoyed any of the others in this series do yourself a favour and pick up The Trapped Girl. I'm sure you wont be sorry.
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This book kept me guessing right up to the end. Part of my guesses turned out right, and part turned out wrong, which is why this was a great story. I read the first book in this series, My Sister's Grave, awhile ago, and I liked it, but not as much as I did this one, even though I missed #2 and 3 in between. The characters were well developed, and the story line was excellent.

I was provided a copy of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

The Trapped Girl is the fourth in a series by Robert Dugoni about a detective with Seattle’s Violent Crimes Section named Tracy Crosswhite. I have not read the first three but easily picked up the story line and thoroughly enjoyed this installment. As the story opens, a teenage boy illegally crabbing pulls up his crab trap and finds a woman’s dead body. The woman was shot before she was dumped in the Puget Sound so Tracy Crosswhite’s unit is summoned and subsequently commences the process of attempting to solve the murder. During the autopsy, the medical examiner determines that the victim had undergone substantial facial reconstructive surgery in an effort to conceal her identity. Initially, the victim is identified as Lynn Hoff, but quickly the team realizes that it may in fact be Andrea Strickland, an insurance agent who went missing on Mt. Ranier months previously while hiking with her husband. As Tracy continues her investigation, she discovers that the many facts and clues conflict and that something more complicated has occurred. She and her team must piece together every detail to ascertain what truly happened and who the mystery woman is.

The story is fast-paced and includes numerous twists and turns – most of which I did not see coming (I love that!). The plot takes Tracy from Mt. Ranier to Oregon in her quest to solve the identity of the dead woman and how she met her demise. The various settings made the tale so interesting. The Trapped Girl is a complicated and well-written story with a fabulous resolution that made sense and was believable (believability is something that is lacking in many thrillers today).

Learning about the various hikes on Mt. Ranier and other fun facts about the mountain was one of the highlights of the book for me. Another was the manner in which Dugoni chose to tell his tale. He alternates between Andrea’s journal entries and a standard third person voice for the rest of the novel. The result is outstanding. Dugoni also perfectly balances writing about the mystery plot line and Tracy’s personal life which makes the book such a great read. I am sure striking that balance is hard as an author, but when it does occur the story is so much better than when too little or too much focus is on the detective’s own life.

I highly recommend this wonderful mystery. Thanks to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The latest in the Tracy Crosswhite series has got to be my favorite of them all.
The twist and turns in this one keeps you guessing who is who and who did it. I love a great murder mystery!! The little extra insights from Andrea's point of view was great add on to what she was thinking and going through. Finally, I have to say Dan and Tracy getting married at the end has got to be the best ever!!! I love them together!

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second Robert Dugoni book in a row. Previously I read In the Clearing, (Tracy Crosswhite #3), and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed The Trapped Girl far more.

The Trapped Girl is more tautly written; there is more suspense, more surprises, more of those delicious 'oh, I can't bear to put this down' moments, particularly in the second half of the book. Twists and turns in the plot were well done, and every time I thought I had it all figured out, Dugoni would throw in a new twist and we would be off on another tangent.

If this is how Dugoni's writing improves between books, I await his next offering eagerly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing a digital ARC of The Trapped Girl by Robert Dugoni for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

In the early hours of a summer day in Seattle, a teenager out to make a little extra money by illegally crabbing manages to net more than he bargained for – much more. Instead of crabs in his cages, he pulls up the body of a young woman. How she got there isn’t clear but what is is that it wasn’t an accident, she was murdered. Enter Tracy Crosswhite , who is fast becoming one of my favourite female detectives.

Tracy is a great character. She’s tough but not hard, loved by her team and by her boyfriend Dan (who unfortunately I didn’t get as much of as I would have liked in this outing). She’s also got history that means she starts to feel connected for the woman she thinks has been found and the life she lived. Like Tracy (who lost her sister 20 years previously) the dead woman’s life has been touched by tragedy, nothing it seems has gone right for her.

I said “thinks” and “seems” because, determined to find out what happened to the young woman, the more Tracy digs the more confused she (and you as a reader becomes). Nothing is as it seems. For Tracy, it’s frustrating, especially when her path is blocked by a neighbouring police force who believe they have jurisdiction and a boss who can’t be bothered to fight for her. For me, as a reader, I loved the confusion. I really didn’t know where the story would take me next as it took one twist after another.

And, unlike other books I have read, where the twists sometimes just seem to be there for the sake of it, here every one made me go “of course” and nod my head knowingly as if it had been obvious from the beginning (when, of course, it hadn’t been at all). The whole story was really cleverly plotted, with nothing rushed, and right until the end I was convinced it would end one way, only to find out I had been completely wrong all along…brilliant!

Liking and rooting for Tracy is an obvious plus and selling point for me in this series but, in this book, it was also nice was getting to know her team more than I have in any other story – her partner, Kins, already felt pretty solid and well rounded to me but, here, I also got to properly meet the two other members of her team (or family as they call themselves), Del and Faz. They are great characters, full of life and personality and good cops in their own right. I want more in the next book as they make a great team.

And I do hope there is a next book as, for me, this series is just getting better and better with each book. It says something that, after only discovering it last year thanks to a review on bibliophile book club, I have read every book in the series. Not only do they have the great characters I have mentioned but they are great stories, well written with twists and turns a plenty and a real sense of place – I want to visit Seattle now despite the death count. I can’t recommend them highly enough (and for those who don’t want to go back to the beginning, don’t worry they can be read as standalone I think) – loved this book!

Yes! Finally! In this book, Mr. Dugoni and his leading lady Tracy Crosswhite finally break through! The case is based in Seattle and is a current case. While following the clues does take Tracy out of town, this case is in stark contrast to the previous cases where she basically left her current unit to work it or was dealing with a cold case, especially her own sister's murder. Speaking of which, finally Tracy seems to have come out of the shadow and in to her own a bit. She still feels empathy and identifies with her cases but it is for herself and not for her long dead sister. This change makes a big difference in the feel of the story line, a great difference! It was wonderful reading how Tracy was looking forward instead of backwards. This installment is a terrific reward for not giving up when she was obsessed with her sister's murder! Well worth the wait!

Robert Dugoni is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors for a suspenseful, twisty read. I adored My Sister's Grave and continued to enjoy the next two books in the series, (Her Final Breath and In the Clearing). With The Trapped Girl, the fourth book in the Tracy Crosswhite series, Dugoni once again gives his readers a non-stop story filled with suspense, tension and twists. He had me captivated throughout and while I had several ideas of who the culprit could be, by the time Dugoni finished weaving his web, he ended up surprising even this seasoned reader.

Tracy continues to be a strong main character. She's tough yet likable and has her flaws. A gaggle of fellow detectives and Tracy's boyfriend round out the cast. I'd suggest reading this series in order so that you understand where Tracy's past which continues to haunt her. While her personal life plays a role in this book and I liked its inclusion, I'm glad it stayed in the fringes of the story to keep the tension high.

This is a well-crafted suspense read. It's complicated without being fussy or confusing as Dugoni leads his readers through his plot leading up to a very satisfying, nail-biting conclusion. If you're in the mood for lots of twists, suspense and some solid characters you must pick up the Tracy Crosswhite series.

Highly recommended for fans of Lisa Gardner and Harlan Coben.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Thomas and Mercer for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have read the previous Tracy Crosswhite novels so I expected a first rate thriller and I was not disappointed. The book opens with the discovery of a girl’s body trapped in a crab pot and the attempts to identify the body and apprehend the killer. As it unfolds we learn of a girl trapped in an abusive relationship and in a life she didn’t want and couldn’t cope with. What a great story, with so many misdirections, it is only in the last chapters that the real killer and motives are revealed.

First, I would like to express my thanks to Thomas and Mercer Books, NetGalley and the author who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Robert Dugoni is on a very hot roll currently. However, Dugoni is, also, IMHO at, or very near, the top of his game, too. I am currently reading the Tracy White police procedural/legal thriller series. The Trapped Girl is book four in this series, and the writing and the stories just seem to get better and better. I really enjoy this series, and this definitely was my favorite in the series. I have not read book three, yet. We can only hope that he is not having his “Dylanesque” peak anytime soon. Let the songs keep coming.
Kurt Schill, a Seattle teenager, is out trying to make a few extra bucks illegally in the wee hours by poaching crabs. He goes out into the fog and darkness and drops his crab pots, and then returns to get them, hopefully full. This all works fine and dandy until one night he has the one-in-a-million misfortune to pull out a very heavy pot, and it don’t look like any crabs are in this pot. Schill resigns himself to calling in the found body even though he is breaking the law. Tracy Crosswhite, Seattle major crimes unit, is the quick to respond. The first order of business will be to identify the victim which turns out to be extremely difficult and very time-consuming, along with a couple of other things that are better left unsaid if one has not read the book yet.
The usual cast of quirky detectives are present: Del Castigliano, Vic “Fazz” Fazzio, Kinnsington “Kins” Rowe, and Tracy in the pit, or the crew. Del and Fazz cover the bases of the paper trails and background work with people. Kins and Tracy chase down and speak with suspects, persons of interest, and people familiar with these people. And, they, especially Tracy, report directly to Captain Johnny Nolasco, and their working relationship lacks a lot to be desired. Dugoni seems to maximize the amount of interest that the reader can garner without going too far, a not so easy accomplishment IMHO.
Graham and Andrea Strickland are a couple with a troubled marriage. Graham leases a Porsche and is a lawyer. He wants the best of everything with sugar on top, but he really does not want to have to work for it. That’s so, so yesterday. He is better at spending money that making money, he is greedy, lazy, unfaithful, and dishonest. Other than that, I guess that he is okay. His wife is Andrea. She is a very quiet, demur and a predictable creature of habit. She has a job helping a friend, but she is not a very sociable person. She has stack upon stack of books, and she devours books quickly. She only wants to read and hike. Anyway, somehow they are involved in the crab pot case.
Once again, Robert Dugoni’s writing is off the charts crazy. Police procedurals are not supposed to be like this? Legal thrillers are seldom this exciting. Dugoni’s creativity and original ideas and his ability to advance them with story and plot and characters is definitely something to keep in the back of your mind while reading The Trapped Girl, or any other book in the Tracy Crosswhite series. Dugoni is quickly becoming one of my favorite go-to authors. The Trapped Girl tops this list. I would have no problem recommending this book to anyone, regardless of what they read. This is a 5-star.

Cam

This book was very interesting and I enjoyed it immensely !
I love this series, and enjoy this author

I will start off saying I read the first book in this series but have not read any others until this book. You do not need to read the other books to read this book, it might be better if you do, I'm not sure but you can read this as a stand alone. I thought this was a good mystery book. I did figure out early on somethings but I happily didn't figure everything out until I was told in the book. My biggest complaint is the filler sentences that really need to be taken out as they don't need to be in there. An example is "He dipped his french fry in ketchup then put it in his mouth", this sentence did not need to be in the book, it's not the unabridged book, take the dumb sentences out. Besides that the book was really good and the mystery was well planned out.