Her Final Breath by Robert Dugoni, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite of the Seattle Police Department Violent Crimes Section has been assigned to investigate a series of serial murders of young women, even though there is evidence that the killer may have included her on his list of targets, in Her Final Breath, the second entry in this series by Robert Dugoni.

The victims to date have been young women who dance and do favors for men in local clubs. Their bodies have been found in cheap motels not far from the establishments where they worked. Tracy and her partner Kinsington "Kins" Rowe are heading up a task force to capture the prolific killer, known as "The Cowboy" for the way he hogties his victims in a way that effectively strangles them to death. This MO is similar to that of a killer years ago that was handled by Tracy's supervisor, Captain Nolasco. When Tracy looks at the old files, against specific orders from Nolasco, she finds that information was not recorded properly, clues to the killer's identity were not followed up, and a supposed witness couldn't possibly have seen anything. Was the man convicted twenty years ago for the crimes really innocent, and the real killer still out there free?

Once Tracy begins to think that she's on the right track, someone starts stalking her. It isn't too long before she makes a mistake, and Nolasco relieves her of her task force command, taking over for himself. Believing that Nolasco is on the wrong track, Tracy starts her own investigation with the help of her romantic interest, attorney Dan O'Leary.

Her Final Breath is a terrific police procedural. The characters are vividly drawn and the storyline is written in such a way to play to their respective strengths. The intricately developed and detailed plot makes for an intense, often breath-taking read. This is a superb entry in this series, one that is highly recommended.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Her Final Breath.

Acknowledgment: Thomas & Mercer provided a copy of Her Final Breath for this review.

My Sister's Grave
Thomas & Mercer (Trade Paperback), November 2014
ISBN-13: 9781477825570; ISBN-10: 1477825576

In the Clearing
Thomas & Mercer (Trade Paperback), May 2016
ISBN-13: 9781503953574; ISBN-10: 1503953572

Her Final Breath

A Tracy Crosswhite Mystery by Robert Dugoni