Tracy Crosswhite & husband Dan O’Leary have returned to Cedar Grove for a short stay while their Seattle home is renovated, with their two-month-old daughter, Daniella, in tow. While difficult for Tracy after the death of her sister, she and Dan do want their child to know her parent’s roots. With nanny, Therese, present as well, Tracy is still trying to decide if she wants to return to detective work or become a stay-at-home Mom. While police work is in her blood, she worries of the inherent danger of the job. Dan, meanwhile, is assisting a client with some legal issues pertaining to his business in Cedar Grove.
While out on a date night, Tracy runs into retired Cedar Grove police chief, Roy Calloway, who appears to be back in uniform. Puzzled, Tracy stops into to see him the next day and learns that active chief Finlay Armstrong has been sidelined after the house fire that had killed his wife, Kimberly. The fire has been ruled arson. An autopsy has revealed that Finlay’s wife died of blunt force trauma to the head. She also learns that Kimberly had been writing a book about the murder of teen-ager Heather Johansen, which had been attributed to the murderer that had killed Tracy’s sister Sarah all those years ago. This is complicated by the fact that Finlay Armstrong had dated Heather all those years ago. After a discussion about the case, Roy asks Tracy for her assistance with the murder investigation.
Torn between mothering and assisting, Tracy finds herself interested in the case, and agrees to assist, much to her husband’s dismay. It’s in reviewing her sisters old high school diaries that Tracy inadvertently finds her first clue. As Tracy begins her present day investigation, another murder is linked to the case – but how do these pieces fit together – and why? Meanwhile Dan’s case uncovers some pretty interesting information that may somehow tie his case into Tracy’s investigation. But the deeper Tracy digs, the more unsettled a killer gets – and that killer will do anything to keep his 25-year secret safe…
I have loved this series since I first discovered it, and this latest addition is no exception! Reminiscent of JT Ellison’s Taylor Jackson series, this series delivers with great characters, a believable mystery, plenty of suspense and a fabulous heroine in Tracy! I couldn’t put it down! Robert Dugoni has been added to my ‘must read’ author’s list!!
I was fortunate to receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review. This review will also publish to my blog on its publication date of 4 Feb 2020.
Tropical Delusions...... 