A Steep Price

Book 6 of the Tracy Crosswhite series did not disappoint!
In this installment, Tracy is 16 weeks pregnant, and is sure that a new officer, Andrea Gonzalez, has been hired to replace her. Instantly Tracy is suspicious. Meanwhile, Faz and Del are working the murder case of a woman shot, likely because she was a anti-drug activist. Tracy gets a call from a colleague asking her to look into the disappearance of an Indian woman, reported by her old roommate.
While dealing with personal issues, Tracy, Faz and the rest of the team navigate these changes and these cases, sometimes with mistakes, and other times with compassion.
Loved this one!

I have read only one book by Robert Dugoni, the Extraordinary Life of Same Hell and it was exceptional. I loved it. Thinking the genre of A Steep Price was so different I had slight trepidation when I opened the latest in the Tracy Crosswhite Series. As the expression goes, “no worries”, Dugoni writes crime, murder and high suspense extraordinarily well.

This book stands alone and while reading the previous five books in the series would obviously fill in some of the back story I never felt adrift. The characters were credible, both in their police and private lives. Tracy Crosswhite and her partner Kinsington Rowe become involved in a missing person’s case which delves into ethnic, parental and feminist issues. Detectives Del show more Castigliano and Vic Fazzio have their own subplot and it was a nail-biter. A personal subplot examines a devastating situation confronting the Fazzios.

As I was reading I kept telling my husband that this has to be his next go-to series. The story is interesting and fast moving, the characters are human and interesting and the writing is terrific. No doubt about it – I am going to read the five previous books as I look forward to Book Number 7.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC show less

Dugoni has done it again! 4.5 ⭐️’s for this wonderfully-written thriller! I don’t usually like series—especially ones with numerous books—but this one is an exception. The main characters are likable and easy to relate to—especially Tracy Crosswhite.

Tracy is called in to consult when a young woman appears to have disappeared. The woman—Kavita—is reported missing by her ex-roommate and childhood friend—Aditi. Both are young Indian women who have been financially cut-off from their parents for attending college and not conforming to their Indian customs/family wishes. But after a visit to India, Aditi unexpectedly gives in to pressure and marries. Upon returning home to retrieve her belongings, she breaks the news to show more Kavita that she’s leaving school and moving away with her new husband. Kavita is upset by her friend’s sudden abandonment and they‘re last encounter ends on somewhat unhappy terms.

Then Kavita’s body is discovered in an abandoned well and Tracy is determined to solve the mystery behind the murder. Tracy is also trying to keep her pregnancy a secret, while her work life begins to become tumultuous. She suspects her boss is trying to replace her and this seems to be confirmed when a new detective is added to her team.

At the same time, Vic Fazzio—one of Tracy’s team members—struggles with devastating personal issues, while his investigation of the murder of a local community activist starts to go south.

Now two careers are on the line, as more deadly secrets emerge.

There is a lot going on in the book, but Dugoni does a fantastic job of keeping it all organized so it’s easy to keep up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review!
#AsteepPrice #NetGalley show less

I really love this series. This time round we get to see more of Faz and Vera. I love the whole changing point of view thing. It's not something I usually like but in this series it just works. Or the author is just really talented. Not sure. Either way, awesome.

A mark of a good book is when you feel the characters emotions. And this is a great book. I felt happy, I felt sad. My heart broke for Vera and Faz. The book dragged me through all the emotions of all the characters. I've grown very fond of the A Team and their partners. Except Nolasco. He's an ass.

The cases were both interesting and while I thought I saw the twist coming it was not quite what I expected. Totally thought Gonzalez was dirty. And then I thought Francisco was show more undercover cop. On the other hand I partly guessed who killed Vita. I can't wait to read the next one. Hopefully it won't be too long of a wait. 4.5 stars. show less

I love the story telling ability of this author. He can weave several stories together that are seemingly unrelated...and bring it all together beautifully in the end. Tracy Crosswhite is a very believable character that comes across as very human and extremely likable even when she's in one of her "moods". In this book Tracy's life takes a big leap both in her career life and her personal life. Fans of the series will love this one and newbies will want to read all the books from 1-6.

This book has Tracy working on a murder case and trying to keep her pregnancy a secret. Good luck with that, since her despised boss has already brought in a new cop to replace her.

The book focuses more on her colleague Vic "Faz" Fazzio, which is a smooth move by Dugoni to keep the pregnant woman out of harm's way. Faz's investigation into the murder of a local community activist turns violent, and he has his hands full trying to find the truth and keep his job.

A Steep Price moves quickly and kept me guessing. It also has one of my favorite descriptive passages so far this year concerning glass shards and a stained-glass window.

Robert Dugoni continues to hit all the right notes with the latest entry in the Tracy Crosswhite series, "A Steep Price". This around, the story delves into issues as varied as race, drugs, poverty, culture, education, pregnancy and workplace.

Tracy and her partner, Kins, are called in to help investigate the disappearance of a young University of Washington student. When her body is found at the bottom of an abandoned well not far from her home, the initial ruling is suicide. But Tracy's not buying it and investigates it as a murder.

Meanwhile, Faz and Del are assigned to the killing of a local mother and activist in a high crime neighborhood. Their investigation puts them at odds with both the community and the cartel that seems to show more run things. It also puts them into real danger.

The author keeps everything fluid and moving and real, including Tracy's conundrum about when and how to announce her pregnancy. As usual, the writing is crisp and clear and realistic, right down to the park I pass almost every day on the way to work.

Disclosure: Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. show less