Robert Dugoni’s ‘A Steep Price’ has beautiful narrative

“A Steep Price” (Thomas & Mercer), by Robert Dugoni

Two young women who have been friends forever have plans to go to graduate school together. When one of them comes back from a visit to London to attend a relative’s wedding, she announces that she’s gotten married. It’s part of an arranged marriage set up by her parents. Her friend becomes upset and promptly disappears. Seattle Detective Tracy Crosswhite takes the case when a colleague thinks there’s more to the story.

While Crosswhite works on the case, she also contemplates her future with the police department. She’s pregnant and hasn’t told anyone. When Crosswhite learns that one of her fellow officers has moved to another group, and a new detective arrives and promptly sets up shop at her desk, Crosswhite fears that she’s on the way out. Is it her pregnancy or something she did? She starts to get paranoid about all the possibilities.

One of her fellow officers faces problems of his own. What seems like a simple case involving the murder of a community activist puts detective Vic Fazzio in the middle of a war zone, and a son is bent on revenge for what he feels was the poor treatment of his criminal father. The detective responsible for his arrest? Fazzio.

Author Robert Dugoni has multiple stories that weave into a beautiful narrative. What makes “A Steep Price” stand out is the authentic feel of how it feels to work as a police officer in a major city. With relevant and timely issues, including the treatment of women in the workplace and how some cultures believe in the practice of arranged marriage, the result is another outstanding novel from one of the best crime writers in the business.

THOMAS AND MERCER VIA AP This cover image released by Thomas and Mercer shows “A Steep Price,” by Robert Dugoni.