She Treads Softly: What She Found

Friday, August 19, 2022

What She Found

What She Found by Robert Dugoni
8/23/22; 368 pages
Thomas & Mercer
Tracy Crosswhite #9

What She Found by Robert Dugoni is a very highly recommended police procedural involving an investigation into a cold case.

Tracy Crosswhite has agreed to look into the disappearance of investigative reporter Lisa Childress twenty-five-years earlier at the request of her daughter Anita. Anita's father, Larry, who raised her, has always been the main suspect in her mother's disappearance, but Anita hopes that looking into the case again will find out the truth. She hopes it will clear the name of her father, but more importantly wants to find out what happened to Lisa. What Tracy need to do is try to find out what Lisa was investigating when she disappeared, but that may lead to a much more complicated and incendiary case than Tracy realizes.

This is a wonderfully complex and detailed cold case and it is a pleasure to read about he steps Tracy takes to solve it. Opening up the investigation leads to an intricate set of clues that lead to an even more complicated set of clues that create a maze that Tracy must follow. There are a lot of details that readers need to follow, so this novel is a great choice for those who appreciate and enjoy complex clues and leads that send the investigation into many new directions. The focus on investigative detective work is appreciated. the start is a little slow, but soon picks up and takes off.

Characters are strong, interesting, and memorable, including the minor characters. Even though this is #9, you can read it as a stand-alone cold case investigation. All the information is present that you need about Tracy and the real star of the novel is the investigation anyway. Nevertheless, Tracy is a strong, determined character withe the intelligence and persistence to follow the case to the conclusion.

The narrative succinctly details the facts uncovered and logically follows them to the next clue. Tracy puts her reputation as an investigator on the line here and this jeopardizes all that she holds dear. It also shows who has her back and are willing to back that up with action. This is a perfect series for procedural lovers, especially cold case fans. 4.5 rounded up.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley.

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.