Tuesday, October 17, 2017

My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni


First Line: Her tactical instructor at the police academy had liked taunting them during early morning drills.

Contrary to popular opinion, Tracy Crosswhite does not believe that Edmund House, a convicted rapist and the man sent to prison for her sister Sarah's murder, is guilty of the crime. This case has haunted her for twenty years, so much so that she left her job as a high school chemistry teacher to become a homicide detective with the Seattle Police Department.

When Sarah's remains are finally found near their home in northern Washington, Tracy is determined to get the answers she's been searching for all these years. As she hunts for the real killer, she keeps unearthing long-buried secrets that change her relationship to her past... and put her in very real danger.

After watching a video of one of Dugoni's author events, I knew I had to read one of his books, so I downloaded My Sister's Grave. I'm glad I did because Dugoni's fast-moving story kept me riveted from first page to last. One of the things I liked most was the author's decision to let readers know very early on that there is some sort of conspiracy surrounding Sarah's death. This really ups the suspense and keeps readers wondering how many people are involved, their identities, how much they can be trusted (if at all)-- and just what exactly that they're covering up.

There were a couple of things that I didn't particularly care for: a romance for Tracy that wasn't really necessary, and all the drama coming to a head in the middle of a snowpocalypse, but these were minor annoyances that really didn't prevent me from turning the pages as fast as I could go. 

Dugoni's characters come very, very close to stealing the show from his story. These people are not cardboard cutouts, even the murder victim whose light is just a brief shooting star in the night sky. Tracy can be admired for her dogged determination to find the truth and to demand justice, but how is she going to handle herself if any of her theories are wrong? Almost every single character is shown to have multiple facets, and that gives so much depth and power to a story.

Now that Tracy has finally solved her sister's murder, I'm looking forward to continuing this series. I have to know what's next for such an intelligent, stubborn woman.

My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni
ASIN: B00K2EOONI
Thomas & Mercer © 2014
eBook, 402 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Tracy Crosswhite mystery
Rating: A
Source: Purchased from Amazon.


16 comments:

  1. Hmm....I don't usually go for those 'personal' sorts of cases, Cathy. Too often they lose a bit of credibility. Still, this one sounds well-written, and I do like the solidity of the characters. Glad you enjoyed it.

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    1. This case worked well, not only because of the way the main character is written, but because of the story. I was impressed.

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  2. You make the book sound like a really good read. I may add it to my list.

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  3. I'm interested after reading this review. Have been tempted by Robert Dugoni, but another series. Had not heard of this one. I guess I'm fated to try this one since the review is good.

    In the last few weeks I have read two books from this blog: Murder in the House of Rooster Happiness (Thai culture, people, food, customs, interesting) and Hidden Scars, a laugh outloud riot -- and now there is a dog, too. What more could I want? And Black Mountain College, always a mystery to me.

    So when I finish with that one and a Miranda Corbie book, set in early 1940s San Francisco, dealing with Nazi theft of art, I'll try to find this one by Dugoni.

    Oh, and did I mention the piles of books everywhere around here, not as well-organized as yours, but they are still here.

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    1. All the very best designers include piles of books in their interiors. Didn't you know that? ;-)

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  4. Oh, yes, I loved "The Late Show," too. Waiting for the next book.

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    1. I attended an author event last night for Joe Ide and John Sandford. I met a woman who'd driven down from Payson to see Sandford, and we began talking books. She mentioned liking Connelly, and I asked her if she'd read The Late Show. She hadn't, I recommended it, she made a note. Later on Sandford praised The Late Show, and the woman elbowed me gently and smiled. I really think she'll make a point of reading it now!

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  5. Back to Hidden Scars, and adding Dugoni and Fradkin.

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    1. I seem to be adding several books to your list lately.

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  6. Yes. It's dangerous to visit Kittling Books. But at least I'm getting these books from the library, and not adding to the credit card debt.

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  7. Yes, The Right Side, Murder in the House of Rooster Happiness and Hidden Scars read or am reading. Added the Fradkin and Dugoni to the list.

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    1. I think the next book in Casarett's next book is out at the beginning of December. I'm looking forward to it.

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  8. I'm in the middle of four library books, including the new Camilleri. It's fun to read this way, depending on my mood.

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    1. I've always got two books going at the same time, but seldom more than that. When I was a teen and on into my twenties, I often had 4-6 books going at the same time.

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