YVONNE’S SHORTIES #315 – A Cold Trail // In Her Tracks

Time for another round of Yvonne’s Shorties! This time around a double dose of Tracy Crosswhite sequels.

Title: A Cold Trail
(Tracy Crosswhite #7)
Author: Robert Dugoni
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Detective
First published: February 4th 2020
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Finished reading: August 12th 2022
Pages: 355

“She’d learned from experience to dot her own i’s and cross her own t’s. They tended to bit you in the ass when you didn’t.”

Things have changed a lot in Tracy Crosswhite’s private life in previous books, and book seven jumps right in and continue with those developments. Definitely make sure to read the books in order to avoid spoilers, and ignore this review for the same reason if you aren’t up-to-date! Although the blurb does kind of give it away already… In A Cold Trail, Tracy is on maternity leave and temporarily back in their home town Cedar Grove while they renovate their home close to Seattle. She is then asked to investigate a cold case that may have links to a recent death by the local chief, and of course Tracy can’t resist… And once again her husband Dan gives this detective thriller a legal thriller vibe with his current case and time in court. The two genres felt better balanced in this sequel though, and I liked how the two complemented each other. There were plenty of twists along the way, and lots of danger and suspense as well… And I most definitely didn’t guess the full truth about it all. A Cold Trail ended up being another successful sequel, and the series is without a doubt still going strong. Having Faz show up in Cedar Grove was a bonus!

Title: In Her Tracks
(Tracy Crosswhite #8)
Author: Robert Dugoni
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Detective
First published: April 20th 2021
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Finished reading: August 13th 2022
Pages: 394

“It’s easier to live with failure than with regret.”

This might just be my favorite Tracy Crosswhite sequel yet! A lot has happened to Tracy and the rest of the main characters since this series started, and I’ve been really enjoying their character growth and dynamics over time. This is also a reason to read the books in order (even if technically you can read the books as a stand-alone), because there will be spoilers if you don’t. In In Her Tracks, Tracy is reassigned to the cold case unit, and I really liked what it added to the plot. It isn’t the first time she investigates a cold case in the first place (multiple books future one), and she is great at looking at past cases with a fresh angle. What made this particular sequel so successful for me was the mix of cold cases and a new missing person case Tracy helps her former team member Kins with. I’ve always liked their dynamics, and it was great to see the two work together. The fact that we also have a POV from the suspects only added to the plot; sure, it took away the fun of trying to figure out who was behind it all, but seeing both sides ‘live’ as things developed gave the story more dept. And not to worry, In Her Tracks will still throw a plot twist bomb or two at you before the story ends! I did wonder about the little girl missing persons case, because I felt it could have done with more developing… As it is, the focus was mostly on the new missing persons case and the case with the little girl felt a bit like an afterthought. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy my time with In Her Tracks though, and I definitely can’t wait to read the next book.