Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni Narrator: Emily Sutton-Smith
Series: Tracy Crosswhite #11
Published by Brilliance Audio on May 27, 2025
Genres: Mystery
Length: 10 hours, 40 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible
Detective Tracy Crosswhite isn’t one to lose her cool. Until her interrogation of the taunting and malicious Erik Schmidt, a suspect in two cold case killings. Schmidt also has unnerving ties to the monster who murdered Tracy’s sister, stirring memories of the crime that shaped Tracy’s life. After a critical mistake during a shooting exercise, Tracy breaks.
Haunted by nightmares and flashbacks, Tracy heads to her hometown of Cedar Grove to refocus. Just a peaceful getaway with her husband, her daughter, and their nanny at their weekend house. But Tracy’s sleepless nights are only beginning. A legal glitch has allowed Schmidt to go free. And Tracy has every reason to fear that he’s followed her.
I am always thrilled to have another Tracy Crosswhite book to read. Tracy is now in cold cases where they have tried to sideline her. Chief Weber is still out to get her because Tracy knows of her corruption but Nolasco seems to have become more neutral after working a case with her.
A Dead Draw has Tracy’s past coming up to harass her. Erik Schmidt, charged with murder gets released after evidence is ruled inadmissible. Apparently Schmidt was friendly with Edmund House in prison, who is the man who killed her sister. After crossing his path, Tracy starts having nightmares again. Then she has a “daymare” and fails a shooting test.
Tracy and her family go home to Cedar Grove to be safer and gain perspective. Tracy starts taking shooting lessons again with her original shooting trainer, Mason and his granddaughter, Lydia. In addition to the methods Tracy learned as a teen, now with Lydia they also use video games to improve focus and speed. Lydia is autistic, very smart and remembers everything.
Schmidt, of course, follows her to Cedar Grove. He starts going after all those in Tracy’s life and plans to get to her. Tracy has continued to train and investigate. She has learned more about Schmidt, trying to find more evidence to charge him.
I love the way Tracy investigates and is kind to others. It was great to see some members of her old team. I liked her new detente with Nalasco. My favorite was her relationship with Mason and Lydia. Lydia is a joy. Tracy encourages her to try a job. Then works with her to get a better job.
This series is just amazing and I highly recommend it. I would read in order, both because they are all excellent and to follow along with the personal and career developments Tracy has.
Narration:
Emily Sutton-Smith continues to be Tracy in my head. She has narrated the entire series. With the distinct voices she uses for characters, I know them when I hear them. I’m comfortable with both her male and female voices and her performance definitely enhanced my enjoyment. I was able to listen comfortably at 1.75x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Emily Sutton-Smith
Emily sits in a carpet covered box and tells stories, and loves it. She also helped to found an Equity theatre, which she works to keep alive and thriving.
About Robert Dugoni
Robert Dugoni is the New York Times, #1 Amazon, and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of the Tracy Crosswhite series: My Sister’s Grave, Her Last Breath, In the Clearing, The Trapped Girl and Close to Home, as well as the short prequels The Academy and Third Watch. The police procedural featuring Seattle Homicide Detective Tracy Crosswhite has kept Dugoni in the Amazon top 10 for more than three years and sold more than 4 million copies. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, released April 2018. Dugoni’s first series featured attorney David Sloane and CIA agent Charles Jenkins.
He is the winner of the Nancy Pearl Award for fiction, a two-time nominee for the Harper Lee Award for Legal Fiction, A two-time nominee for the Mystery Writer’s of America Edgar Award and a two-time nominee for the International Thriller of the year. His non-fiction expose, The Cyanide Canary, was a 2004 Best Book of the Year. He is published in more than 30 countries and two dozen languages.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 25-Audio
- 25-COYER
I would have been drawn to this cover anyway, and your five star rating is making me want to start this series.
This is one of my favorite series ever.
I’ll be starting this soon! So glad you loved it, Anne💜
Thank you Jonetta. This one is such a favorite.
Wonderful review Anne. I am going to grab this one.
It will mean more with the rest of the series. Every one of these is great.
I thought it said book 1.. lol
Wow, he chases her to her home. That would get intense. Looks like a well-developed crime series that I’d enjoy.
It’s one of my most favorite series Sophia. I would start at the beginning and read them all; they are terrific.
Sounds like a nice one! Good find. 🙂
Thank you. I’ve been loving this series all along.
I enjoy reading his Tracy Crosswhite mysteries…though I am very far behind on them. I’ll have to hurry and catch up because this newest one sounds really good!
It is good but the one before this where she had to partner with Johnny Nalasco is my favorite in the series.
This is one of those authors I always see and think “I need to try him.”
One day.
These are police procedurals, mysteries and this series is one of my very favorite in the genre.
This series is one on my TBR. I have a few books in this series but it sounds like I need to try the audio books as well.
This is one of my very favorite series. They are in KindleUnlimited including audio so that would be the easy way to read through them without buying them as they are not at the library.