IN HER TRACKS marks the return of Seattle detective Tracy Crosswhite in this eighth installment of Robert Dugoni’s bestselling series. Having already solved her sister’s murder, married the love of her life, become a decorated detective and given birth to a daughter, Tracy is at the top of her game. But this time, she has to turn her keen investigative eye inward to ask what she really wants from the rest of her police career.

When we reunite with Tracy, she is just coming back from maternity leave, a departure extended by the psychological effects of her last case, which threatened her daughter’s life. Captain Johnny Nolasco has been waiting for an opportunity to knock Tracy down a few pegs. In her absence, he has replaced her with a Latina policewoman, Maria Hernandez, making it nearly impossible for Tracy to fight for her position in Violent Crimes. She cannot argue discrimination, nor does she want to put Detective Hernandez at odds with what was no doubt a difficult climb in a racist, sexist police force.

With no other options, Tracy is left with taking up the mantle of cold cases, a seat left open by the retirement of Art Nunzio. As longtime readers will know, Tracy first became involved with the police force when her obsession with her sister’s cold case reached a breaking point, so this is no easy decision for her. But after a spirited discussion with Nunzio, she decides to give it a try.

"Dugoni has produced one of his most shocking twists yet --- I gasped loud enough to startle my fiancé --- and Tracy, expertly developed over seven previous novels, is almost pared down here, in a refreshing, perspective-changing way."

Tracy quickly sorts through decades of binders and catalogs to root out the cases that seem the most promising because of DNA samples or similarities in location. But one in particular catches her eye: 10 years ago, a five-year-old girl disappeared under her father’s watch amid her parents’ bitter divorce. The father, Bobby Chin, was one of Seattle PD’s own, and her mother, Jewel, was a bit of a diva whom Bobby claimed was manipulative. Now thinking as a mother, Tracy cannot help but wonder who was looking out for the girl, Elle, and whether or not serious clues were buried under the parents’ arguments.

Lucky for Tracy (and Dugoni’s readers), she soon gets called to assist her former partner, Kinsington “Kins” Rowe, on a missing persons case with all the signs of a soon-to-be homicide. Stephanie Cole, a 19-year-old newcomer to Seattle, recently disappeared on a jog. Responsible but broke, Stephanie is not the type to run away or hide out. Still, despite a pretty tight timeline, detectives cannot find any evidence as to where, how or why she vanished one afternoon. Jostling the cold case of Elle Chin and the new mystery of Stephanie Cole, Tracy cannot help but note the similarities between these disappearances. With her trademark sleuthing skills, compassion for victims and sharp wit, she starts investigating each case, all while ruminating on her future as a detective.

In an unusual twist for a Dugoni novel, readers know --- or at least think they know --- exactly what happened to Stephanie right from the start. Alternating between Tracy’s perspective and that of three twisted, slovenly brothers, Dugoni tracks the investigation into Stephanie’s disappearance from the viewpoint of both her attacker and Tracy, adding a cat-and-mouse element to this already tense mystery.

If you thought Dugoni was good at immersing you in Tracy’s thoughts and intellectual prowess, get ready to meet Franklin Sprague. Franklin and his brothers, Carrol and Evan, are still living in their deceased parents’ hoarder home well into middle age, with Franklin running the household as their abusive father did. Carrol, a chubby man with a stutter, and Evan, who is a bit slow, do whatever their brother says, except when it comes to Stephanie, whom Evan has claimed as his own woman to “play” with, just like his brothers do with their women. Franklin is devious and sloppy, but years of covering up for his father have taught him a thing or two about making women disappear. Only this time the Sprague brothers messed up big time. First, they abducted a woman with friends and family; second, they never once dreamed of a detective like Tracy Crosswhite.

As always, Dugoni pens a tightly plotted and intricate mystery, full of ripped-from-the-headlines connections and even stronger personal ties to both Tracy’s background and issues that will resonate with his readers. He has pushed Tracy further and harder with each installment, both personally and professionally. But in this latest entry, he does something remarkable by recalling the trauma that introduced readers to Tracy in the first place: the elusive draw of the cold case. As a wife and mother, Tracy has dealt with greater and greater personal stakes in every novel, but IN HER TRACKS is all about her: her future, her trauma and her goals as a detective. In many ways, this installment felt like a full-circle return to the things that made Tracy so alluring in MY SISTER’S GRAVE: her tenacity, fierce dedication to victims and understanding her role within the Seattle PD.

It is no secret by now that Dugoni knows how to write a solid, riveting mystery, but each time I pick up a new novel in this series, I am amazed by his attention to detail when it comes to the fine print of detective work. He thinks of everything, from the loneliness of being a woman on a mostly male force to the politics of promotions and even the draw of taking a lateral move for mental and emotional well-being.

If you haven’t met Tracy Crosswhite yet, IN HER TRACKS is a terrific place to start. Dugoni has produced one of his most shocking twists yet --- I gasped loud enough to startle my fiancé --- and Tracy, expertly developed over seven previous books, is almost pared down here, in a refreshing, perspective-changing way. She has Dan and baby Daniella, but with her juggling act mostly balanced, she is back to focusing on herself, giving readers what they want most: more Tracy.