My Sister's Grave

I came across 'My Sister's Grave' as I was excavating the depths of my TBR pile. I bought it back in 2015, about a year after its release as an audiobook, when it was being promoted as a debut novel from a promising new author kicking off a new series. Then I lost sight of it. I found it again because I saw good reviews of 'One Last Kill' (2023), the tenth and latest book in the series.

As soon as I started to read 'My Sister's Grave', I was slapping my forehead and asking "How have I let this sit on my shelves untouched since 2015?" I was immediately swept up by the storytelling. There was nothing startlingly original about content or form. It's a familiar formula for an American police procedural BUT it was really well done. The show more intercut timelines worked well, capturing my curiosity and engaging my emotions. I was hooked and having fun.

It helped that Tracy Crosswhite was easy to like. She's not a prima donna. She doesn't have a substance abuse problem. She isn't prone to suicidal ideations as a result of past sins. So she avoids the obvious hard-bitten detective clichés. Instead, she's someone who has the respect of her peers and who enjoys her work as a Seattle PD homicide detective. When she returned to her small home town in Washington State, where the local sheriff knew her parents and watched her and her sister grow up, I got to see a little more of her passion and her frustration but I also saw how well she kept control of herself and focused on getting the results that she needed.

I was drawn in by Tracy's relationship with her younger sister, Sarah and felt strongly enough about Sarah herself that I was angered by my foreknowledge that no matter how brave or resourceful she was, she wouldn't survive.

I thought the book was stronger because it wasn't a one-woman show and it wasn't all about detection. Tracey enlists the help of her school friend, Dan O'Leary, now a lawyer and he handles the courtroom part of the action. I thought the court scenes were well done. Still a little more dramatic than real life but without any 'Perry Mason' histrionics.

The mystery has enough twists that I didn't guess at the outcome. This was partly because of how well-drawn the characters of local Sheriff Roy Calloway and convicted killer Edmund House were written. Both of them came across as untrustworthy and dangerous and neither of them had clean hands. House was chilling throughout. Calloway was... gratifyingly complex.

This was a page-turner of a book, cleverly structured to maintain the tension, engage the emotions, feed the curiosity and deliver excitement by cutting between present and past and between discovery and action.

The upside of having let a very entertaining book sit on my shelves for nine years is that nine more books in the series have already been published. I looking forward to reading my way through them.

I listened to the audiobook version of 'My Sister's Grave', narrated by Emily Sutton-Smith and I'll be sticking with that format for the next book, 'Third Watch'. Click on the SoundCloud link below for a sample of Emily Sutton-Smith's narration.

https://soundcloud.com/brilliance-audio/my-sisters-grave-by-robert-dugoni show less

After watching a video of one of Dugoni's author events, I knew I had to read one of his books, so I downloaded My Sister's Grave. I'm glad I did because Dugoni's fast-moving story kept me riveted from first page to last. One of the things I liked most was the author's decision to let readers know very early on that there is some sort of conspiracy surrounding Sarah's death. This really ups the suspense and keeps readers wondering how many people are involved, their identities, how much they can be trusted (if at all)-- and just what exactly that they're covering up.

There were a couple of things that I didn't particularly care for: a romance for Tracy that wasn't really necessary, and all the drama coming to a head in the middle of a show more snowpocalypse, but these were minor annoyances that really didn't prevent me from turning the pages as fast as I could go.

Dugoni's characters come very, very close to stealing the show from his story. These people are not cardboard cutouts, even the murder victim whose light is just a brief shooting star in the night sky. Tracy can be admired for her dogged determination to find the truth and to demand justice, but how is she going to handle herself if any of her theories are wrong? Almost every single character is shown to have multiple facets, and that gives so much depth and power to a story.

Now that Tracy has finally solved her sister's murder, I'm looking forward to continuing this series. I have to know what's next for such an intelligent, stubborn woman. show less

I have zero recollection of why I had this book in my collection but decided to give it a try and what a fantastic surprise that was. Tracy Crosswhite, a Seattle Homicide Detective has been investigating her sister's murder for the past 20 years, despite Edmund House having been convicted the crime. A conviction that Tracy never could quite believe and genuine and believing that her sisters killer is still on the lose she never stopped looking. When her sisters body is suddenly after all these years, she is able to prove that House was framed for the crime. What happens from there is an action packed thrill ride. I loved Tracy Crosswhite and Dan O'Leary: both so likable and genuine. So imagine my further surprise when I did some show more research and discovered that this was the first of a series. I can't wait to visit Cedar Grove again. show less

WHAT I LIKED:

How It Dealt With Courtroom Drama
There were scenes in the book -and the whole premise of the story- that relied heavily upon a court setting. This included lawyers, judges, courtroom terms; the whole deal.

This can either be a great thing or a terrible problem, depending on how skilled the author is and how the story goes. Court can, ultimately, be boring. Or, it can be surprisingly exciting. Like I said, it depends on the characters and therefore the author. (I try my best to stay away from courts and such. I have no experience. It would be a disaster. Just like the sales on the book.)

Although I've only read a few books that had to confront this aspect, I've read two that were notably on opposite ends of the spectrum. One, show more a John Grisham book, did an excellent job. Nearly the entire book was set in a courtroom setting or a lawyer's firm, and it worked wonderfully. The other, however, was the opposite. It flopped. Terribly. And made me scared to write a courtroom-drama, -mystery, -murder, -anything.

This book had a few chapters and a subplot that relied heavily on the courtroom scenes. Dugoni did a fantastic job, and made them not only exciting to read, but a part of the book that I couldn't put down.

(The love story mixed in didn't hurt at all, either.)

How It Was Hard To Put Down
As I've hinted at, this was originally going to be both a good and bad category in my opinion. Parts of the book kept me on the edge of my seat and reading late into the night, even when I told myself after every chapter that I needed to sleep. Because of this, I read over 100 pages in two days, even though I was only reading right before bed.

On the other side, there were parts of the book that I found quite difficult to follow or to keep reading. Sometimes, I wanted to go to sleep before the chapter was over. Or just play Scrabble. (That game is addicting.) Because of this, I didn't read the book at all for nearly a week, even when I had ample time.

Flashbacks
Robert Dugoni -at least in this book- is a master of flashbacks. He uses them to enhance the stories, add depth to the characters, quicken the pace, and do everything that those online articles about flashbacks tell you to do. Of all the books I've read, this was a perfect example of how to use flashbacks, a technique that I have never been quite able to master myself.

This is one of those books I would go back and read again, taking notes on how to improve my own writing through it. Not only that, but it is completely entertaining as well and a great story.

(I'm trying to stick with three points but there is another I can't help but mentioning. The characters. Everything is so life-like and understandable. Every character is like someone you might meet in real life. I would highly, highly recommend this book.)

WHAT I DISLIKED:

Meaningless Movements
There were a few instances where the author described characters doing everyday, casual details. A few times, I understood the purpose behind it, revealing something new or moving the story along. But a few times I was unsure what the purpose was.

Ultimately, this is not a big deal, but because I don't have much to talk about, I had to mention it. Great books are so hard to review.

The Killer's Identity
The jury's still out on this one. (Get it? Courtroom drama? You know you got it.)

In some ways, the final identity of the murderer was brilliant. In some ways, it was cliched. In some ways, it just seemed lazy.

It was certainly a twist in the story, but there were plenty of those. This seemed unnecessary, and although the ending was brilliant, it could have been achieved a different way. There were some loose ends that might have been left hanging, but there are two more books in the series after all. (I'll be reading those next.)

I can't give much away on this without giving the whole book away, and that would be extremely rude of me. Instead, I'll just encourage you to buy the book. (Or if you have Kindle Unlimited, read it for free. Trust me, you want to read it.)

Cliched Background Characters
There were some background characters which had no imagination put into them. I do the same thing all the time and I could absolutely tear one of my books apart in a review like this, but this isn't about me. (Thank God.)

Anyways, the characters were just so obvious and predictable. There was an old woman crocheting, with photos and porcelain dolls everywhere. I understand that the characters should be familiar and this is only one example, but I saw the same kind of repetition over and over again in the book.

MY RATING: 9/10

This book was fantastic. I highly encourage you to buy and read it, especially if you're a fan of mystery, suspense, thriller, or even courtroom drama. It even has a love story. This book has something familiar for everyone to love and something new for everyone to realize they love. show less

Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

Tracey Crosswhite’s sister disappeared 20 years ago. Her body has just been found and with it come a host of questions about the conviction of Edmund House. With the help of her childhood friend Dan, now a lawyer, Tracey sets out to discover the truth about what happened. And what a journey it is.
This book really made me think about the concept of justice and how far I would go to uncover the truth. I loved Tracey’s character and her run ins with the crotchety Roy Calloway. There were lots of shades of grey in the characters it wasn’t as simple as good and bad there were plenty of ‘good’ people doing questionable things.
The real star of the book however was the weather. I loved show more that the judge arranged the case around the incoming storm and the final scenes when the storm hit were beautifully described. I’m really glad to hear from the author that this was the first in a new series as I will definitely be waiting for the next one. show less

Robert Dugoni turns from writing legal thrillers to police procedurals with his usual storytelling aplomb. As with David Sloane, his cop, Tracy Crosswhite, is personally and emotionally tied up in the case. Her sister Sarah disappeared years ago and her body has just been recovered. But the physical evidence doesn't quite match what was used to convict the man in prison for Sarah's murder. And Tracy still feels responsible for what happened to her younger sister.

The author creates an especially rich world of characters, places and situations that always feel real. Flashbacks are sparingly and deftly used to reveal and add depth without holding the story back. Everything moves along quite quickly. Clues to solving the mystery unspool show more naturally. Characters react realistically. The story feels more like a real-crime documentary than complete fiction.

I have enjoyed every book I've read by Dugoni. I can't recommend this one highly enough.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through Amazon's Kindle First program. show less

Tracy and Sarah Crosswhite are extremely close sisters. They compete at shooting championships. After the 1993 state championship, Tracy begs Sarah to drive safely home, but Sarah never makes it.
A recently released rapist is convicted of the murder but a body is not found and Tracy is suspicious of the evidence.
Fast forward 20 years, and Sarah’s body has just been found. Tracy, now a Seattle homicide detective, continues to question the evidence that convicted Edmund House and convinces her childhood friend, Dan, an attorney, to review the case. Tracy is suspicious that the sheriff and others planted evidence.
This is a gritty legal / psychological thriller with a surprising conclusion. Tracy is a flawed character with a guilt over show more her sister’s death that she hasn’t been able to get over. I love her as a heroine and I am very excited to read more about her in future books. This is the first Robert Dugoni book I have read, and it definitely will not be the last. I really like his writing style. The book was easy to read, and the pages flew by.
#MySistersGrave #RobertDugoni show less