rbharath's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
To think that I did not know of Robert Dugoni till last year, and now I find his books so addictive! I found this an excellent police procedure story. There are two crime mysteries in this book – a big one and a small one and both are good!
The book starts with the origins of a mystery several decades prior (~40 years). Then, Earl Kanasket calls Deputy Sheriff Theodore Michael "Buzz" Almond about his daughter Kimi not returning from the Columbia diner. They are a native Indian family – Earl, his wife Nettie, son Elan & daughter Kimi. Kimi recently broke up with her boyfriend Tommy Moore. Her body is found in a lake and suicide is concluded.
In the present day, Tracy Crosswhite & her partner Kinsington Rowe are called to reach a house where a shooting has been reported. Angela Collins and her son Connor are at scene. Angela’s estranged husband has been shot and Angela confesses to it, saying he attacked her with a sculpture. Angela’s dad is the known lawyer Berkshire and he obtains bail for her. This is the second smaller crime mystery.
Tracy and her partner Dan attend the funeral of Buzz Almond, who has died of colon cancer at 67. Tracy is friends with his daughter Jenny and knows their family very well. Tracy met Jenny at the academy, and they had shared an apartment. Jenny tells her about a cold case which was Buzz's first as deputy sheriff – the death of Kimi. Buzz has had his doubts about the suicide pronouncement and has maintained a file of the case. Jenny asks if Tracy would be willing to relook at the case; with advances in forensics maybe something new might come up.
I found both crimes engrossing but the main mystery around Kimi’s death and Tracy’s procedural work to find new clues made for fascinating reading. This is not a fast-paced story, but the characters & procedures to uncover new findings is very well written. The story is very tragic, but the closure at the end is very good (though there is a bit of an unnecessary twist).
Much recommended!
pandasbookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
In the Clearing is the third book in the Tracey Crosswhite series. I think this was my favorite one so far. I enjoyed the dual timelines of Tracey investigating a cold case in the present while we see the original investigation happening in the past. I liked how this mystery came together in a gruesome and horrifying way. I’m eager to read the rest of the series.
tezzarudge's review against another edition
3.0
That was a decent enough police thriller.
MC is intriguing and has good depth and the prose was well done
Story was a bit meh in places. But wrapped up nicely
MC is intriguing and has good depth and the prose was well done
Story was a bit meh in places. But wrapped up nicely
clarissep's review against another edition
4.0
Dang the ending really made my heart ache! I did not expect the little additional twist at the end but it made everything feel more tragic but also more grounded somehow. I did not think for a second that it was an outrageous idea. I can’t say much without spoiling this. (This is the first book that doesn’t seem to be centered around Tracy btw. Maybe that’s why it didn’t feel as compelling— because my attachment to Tracy is huge so anything that relates directly to her hits me harder. Don’t get me wrong though, this was still pretty fab.)
I liked the flashback moments because of the insights they give but if you listen to the audio you have to pay close attention and keep your character names straight or it’ll be confusing.
I liked the flashback moments because of the insights they give but if you listen to the audio you have to pay close attention and keep your character names straight or it’ll be confusing.
wayfaring_witch's review
4.0
Tracy Crosswhite tackles an old case of a teenage girl who was found dead in 1976. A young deputy at the time never believed it was a suicide, and 40 years later Tracy starts digging again. I enjoy how Dugoni peels back the layers of the mystery creating a satisfy build up to the reveal.
chazmo1431's review
5.0
These Tracy Crosswhite books just keep getting better and better. This time Detective Tracy Crosswhite is working on two cases. One, a cold case involving a young Native American high school student with a bright future ahead of her who's death 40 years prior was ruled a suicide. The young deputy, Buzz Almond, who worked on the case never agreed with the findings and had kept a file hidden at home. After serving as Sherriff and passing away, his daughter, Jenny becomes the new Sherriff and discovers the file. Jenny senses her father was right and calls in her friend, homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite to take a look at the case. What she discovers is a secret that has ruined the lives of nearly everyone involved. As with previous Crosswhite novels, the characters are well developed, you can easily relate to each of them and become engrossed in each of their stories, the end is a surprise worth waiting for, in the other case, a good upstanding man and father going through a bitter divorce is killed while coming to pickup his fragile son for the weekend. Both the son and the materialistic, self-centered, soon to be ex-wife admit to shooting the Tom, the father and estranged husband and things just don't add up. With both of them admitting to shooting Tom, there's reasonable doubt to convict either of them. The fact that the wife's father is a talented and successful defense attorney only adds to the problem. Tracy and her team have to bring all of their experience and their sometimes non- traditional methods of detective work they can to bare as they work to unwind the mystery of what happened to Tom Collins. Another page turner that I didn't want to end. Keeps you engrossed throughout. I've already started reading the next one.
ellajtee's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0