Her Final Breath

4.5★s Her Final Breath is the second book in the Tracy Crosswhite series by best-selling award-winning American author, Robert Dugoni. The young, naked woman had been hogtied so that, when her strength ran out, the noose strangled her. Except for the cigarette burns on the soles of her feet, it was identical to the case Captain Johnny Nolasco had relegated to the Cold Case Force while Tracy Crosswhite was dealing with a family matter in Cedar Grove, some weeks earlier.

It all matched: the victims, erotic dancers with drugs in their system; the neatly-made motel room bed; the absence of any sign of forced entry, theft or assault; the rope with its intricate, left-hand-tied knot. And Tracy Crosswhite's search of the database had yielded another case, nine years earlier, with similar features: a man was serving time for that one, and Tracy's gut feeling said there was something amiss, but that had been Johnny Nolasco's case, so she knew questions would be unwelcome.

The rope is also a match for the noose that is left for Tracy to find; her colleagues are concerned enough to put a watch on her house; despite added security measures, Tracy wonders about small irregularities at home; the added presence of her lover, lawyer Daniel O'Leary, is very welcome, and when he offers to follow up on the cold case, she warily accepts.

By the time a third dancer dies, the killer has been dubbed the Cowboy, and Seattle's Police Chief puts Tracy in charge of the task force. But Nolasco seems determined for Tracy to fail, and adversely affect her career. He burdens the small team he has authorised with a tip line and leaks aspects of the investigation to Seattle's least ethical TV news reporter.

Once again, Dugoni gives the reader an exciting story featuring a truly creepy killer, a scary stalker, plenty of action and not a few red herrings to keep the reader engaged. It will be interesting to see what he has in store for his smart, gutsy protagonist in the third instalment, In The Clearing. Gripping crime fiction.

4.5★s Her Final Breath is the second book in the Tracy Crosswhite series by best-selling award-winning American author, Robert Dugoni. The young, naked woman had been hogtied so that, when her strength ran out, the noose strangled her. Except for the cigarette burns on the soles of her feet, it was identical to the case Captain Johnny Nolasco had relegated to the Cold Case Force while Tracy Crosswhite was dealing with a family matter in Cedar Grove, some weeks earlier.

It all matched: the victims, erotic dancers with drugs in their system; the neatly-made motel room bed; the absence of any sign of forced entry, theft or assault; the rope with its intricate, left-hand-tied knot. And Tracy Crosswhite's search of the database had yielded another case, nine years earlier, with similar features: a man was serving time for that one, and Tracy's gut feeling said there was something amiss, but that had been Johnny Nolasco's case, so she knew questions would be unwelcome.

The rope is also a match for the noose that is left for Tracy to find; her colleagues are concerned enough to put a watch on her house; despite added security measures, Tracy wonders about small irregularities at home; the added presence of her lover, lawyer Daniel O'Leary, is very welcome, and when he offers to follow up on the cold case, she warily accepts.

By the time a third dancer dies, the killer has been dubbed the Cowboy, and Seattle's Police Chief puts Tracy in charge of the task force. But Nolasco seems determined for Tracy to fail, and adversely affect her career. He burdens the small team he has authorised with a tip line and leaks aspects of the investigation to Seattle's least ethical TV news reporter.

Once again, Dugoni gives the reader an exciting story featuring a truly creepy killer, a scary stalker, plenty of action and not a few red herrings to keep the reader engaged. It will be interesting to see what he has in store for his smart, gutsy protagonist in the third instalment, In The Clearing. Gripping crime fiction.