I have read quite a number of police investigation books by now and almost all of them have been thrilling, chilling, racy, atmospheric or a combination of any of those elements. However, very rarely have I come across a police investigation story which stays very close to the long, drawn-out, tedious and sometimes mundane process the work actually is in real life.
“What She Found” is the ninth book of the Tracy Crosswhite series by Robert Dugoni and it’s quite popular; you only need to read the first few pages to understand why it is.
In the book, Detective Tracy Crosswhite is currently working cold cases and has just come out of a highly publicized decades-old case she had helped solve. This prompts journalist Anita Childress to get the detective to look into the 25-year-old disappearance of her mother, investigative journalist Lisa Childress. Though Tracy doubts the chances of finding her alive, she still works in earnest to solve the case to give Anita the closure she deserves.
This begins Tracy’s journey of tracing Lisa’s footsteps and trying to find out what might have happened to her. There are many roadblocks on her path towards the answers and some of them lead her to people she cares about. Does she manage to find Lisa? And is she able to make things right and get justice for the victims? We find out the answer to these questions through a story containing interesting twists and gray characters. And I must say some of these twists are genuinely jaw-dropping.
Tracy is very likable and relatable; she is a complex character that has a strong moral compass. All the other characters in the book are well-defined as well. These human aspects against the backdrop of the stark investigation breathe life into the story.
Dugoni also makes an effort to make the investigation feel as close to the real thing as possible. There are delays and frustration while the police have to wait for test results. The people the police interact with aren’t always honest, cooperative and forthcoming. The answers don’t come out in bright and blinding moments of truth; rather, they reveal themselves through the dogged efforts and determination of the whole team of officers who work the case. The time Dugoni has put into the research for this book to get its details right is clearly evident throughout the read.
All these things combine to make a great recipe for a well-written police-procedural thriller which is thrilling and extremely engaging. In fact I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one in the series. I can’t recommend this book enough to police-procedural lovers. Do not miss it!
This book gets 5 out of 5 stars.
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This was really an useful review and put my interest to check this book once.
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