Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Detective sees herself in ‘The Trapped Girl’
Realistic characters and a sumptuous plot filled with believable twists that continue until the final page elevate Robert Dugoni’s fourth outstanding novel about Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite.
Tracy is an engaging and insightful detective who deals daily with a tragic past, yet tries to live in the moment. The rapport she has with her team adds to the authenticity of “The Trapped Girl.” In addition to being a solid police procedural, “The Trapped Girl” is a story about greed, relationships and identity.
The investigation into the murder of a young woman whose body was found in a crab pot quickly becomes complicated. After initially being misidentified, it is revealed that the deceased was Andrea Strickland, who already was presumed dead when her husband claimed she disappeared during a hike on Mount Rainier. Andrea’s husband, Graham, was the logical suspect in the hiking accident, and now even more so. The couple had married very soon after meeting, and Graham would benefit from her large life insurance policy and trust fund.
As Tracy and her team dig into Andrea’s past, the detective finds she had a lot in common with the deceased. Personal losses in both their lives made them wary of relationships. The compelling police investigation alternates with Andrea’s recollections of her life and ill-fated marriage. Seattle and its environs are well explored, from its surrounding islands to the view from Rainier.