Editorial Content for A Dead Draw

Detective Tracy Crosswhite didn’t mean to lose her composure in the interrogation room, but she was goaded into a rash and violent response as the suspect antagonized her with her past. Tracy was questioning Erik Schmidt regarding a pair of execution-style murders that had remained unsolved for a number of years. The evidence against him was more than circumstantial, but when grilled about it, he preferred to be coy. Schmidt’s reference to a painful moment in Tracy’s life leaves her sputtering and looking to lash out.

"Dugoni continues the Tracy Crosswhite arc in fine fashion, and readers will be more than satisfied with the twists and turns of this intriguing plot."

The death of Tracy’s sister, Sarah, left a void in her life and led to her father’s suicide. Tracy is coping with anxiety, guilt and PTSD from the losses she suffered, along with a deadly confrontation with Sarah's killer, Edward House. Schmidt’s taunting words threaten her mental health and begin to wreak havoc on her professional life, as she flubs a shooting exam and shoots an innocent target. Her life is only further complicated as the case against Schmidt gets tossed because of alleged police misconduct. Schmidt makes Tracy and her former partner the target of potential legal action, so Tracy decides to take a little time away from her job so she can regroup.

A trip to her hometown of Cedar Grove feels right for Tracy and her family. However, she isn’t inclined to let the Schmidt case fall by the wayside. Schmidt’s mention of Edward House makes Tracy curious about an association between the two men. Tracy knows that she needs to tread carefully in her investigation, keeping in mind that Schmidt is out of jail. She can’t seem to escape feelings of paranoia as she believes that her car is being tailed, and her husband runs into a random person who appears overly familiar with her old home. Tracy’s decision to locate her former shooting instructor and obtain his help to regain her focus seems more than prescient.

As Tracy digs into Schmidt’s past, she finds a commonality between herself and the supposed killer, which leaves her more than a little rattled. Schmidt may be even more dangerous than Edward House ever was.

A DEAD DRAW is the latest intense thriller from prolific author Robert Dugoni. This 11th installment in the series has the intelligent and dedicated detective fighting her demons and engaged in a battle of wits with a remorseless criminal who is hellbent on revenge. Tracy is relentless in finding justice for murder victims, but she is equally tenacious in her concern and care for friends and loved ones. Schmidt is a calculating villain who doesn’t like to lose, a man who is still fighting the memory of an abusive father. He is a loathsome person, yet he makes for a worthy adversary due to his cunning and opaque motives.

Dugoni continues the Tracy Crosswhite arc in fine fashion, and readers will be more than satisfied with the twists and turns of this intriguing plot.