In Her Tracks by Robert Dugoni @robertdugoni @esuttonsmith @BrilliancePub

the setup…

Detective Tracy Crosswhite returns from extended leave to discover she’s been reassigned to the cold case unit. After consideration, she decides to begin with the unsolved abduction of little Elle Chin who disappeared from a corn maze while out with her father five years ago on Halloween. Elle’s parents were in the middle of a nasty divorce at the time and both pointed the finger at each other when their daughter, who was five-years old at the time, vanished without a trace. While Tracy starts her investigation, she’s also asked to help out her old partner with a current missing person search for Stephanie Cole, a young woman who went jogging in a park before she was to attend a Halloween party and hasn’t been seen since.

the heart of the story…

It wasn’t only about the investigations this time as Tracy must make critical career decisions after being unfairly reassigned by her vindictive Captain Nolasco. Even though he narrowly threaded policy in making that move, Tracy still had options, retirement being one of them. I admired her process for deciding what was best for her and her family, which was thoughtful and measured. The Chin case was interesting and puzzling but also a tragic example of how a child can be caught up in the bad behavior of two warring parents in the middle of a divorce. The search for Stephanie Cole was classic police procedural, which I absolutely love and no one does it better than Tracy. It was even more compelling as we get the point of view of those responsible for her disappearance.

the narration…

Emily Sutton-Smith delivers another fine performance and I’ve come to count on her as the voice of the series. It wouldn’t be quite the same experience without her. She’s my Tracy, as well as adeptly managing all other characters.

the bottom line…

I was engaged in this story from the onset and stayed that way until the end. While I thought I knew what had happened to Stephanie, the resolution of the case still had quite a few surprises and caught me a bit flatfooted. The real surprise came with the resolution of the Chin case and the choices Tracy faced in putting it to rest. This series isn’t just about the investigations but wonderful illustrations of the human condition as everyone involved goes through the process, including the perpetrators, victims, their families and those tasked with solving these crimes. There are so many layers in this story that left me considering more than the final outcomes. And, for me, it’s all best served up in the audiobook experience.

Book Info

• Release Date: April 20, 2021
• Series: Tracy Crosswhite #8
• Narrator: Emily Sutton-Smith
• Audio Length: 10 hours, 19 minutes
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio

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