Tracy Crosswhite · #0.5
Third Watch
Tracy Crosswhite’s ordinary night patrolling her Seattle beat becomes front page news when she responds to a domestic disturbance call that turns into a hostage crisis.
In this prequel short story to Robert Dugoni’s #1 Kindle-bestselling novel, My Sister’s Grave, Tracy Crosswhite is a young patrol officer, paying her dues, keeping her head down, and hoping a solid record will get her promoted to detective. While years have passed since the disappearance of Tracy’s sister, the experience has made her one of the city’s most dedicated cops.
Reporter Tevia Kushman is shadowing Tracy on a ride-along seeking to follow-up on a recent (and nasty) exposé about the Seattle PD’s treatment of female cops. Young and ambitious, Tevia is hoping for a juicy scoop on the gender politics of the PD, but may get a much bigger story than she bargained for…
Neither woman expects a routine-sounding call to turn into something dangerous, until Tracy walks into a domestic dispute and finds herself looking down the barrel of a shot-gun. No stranger to high-pressure situations, Tracy must draw on more than just her academy training and lightning-fast shooting skills to find a way to talk down—or take out—the volatile man holding the gun.
Praise for Robert Dugoni:
“John Grisham, move over.”—The Seattle Times
“Dugoni is a superb storyteller, and his courtroom drama shines…this “Grave’’ is one to get lost in.”—The Boston Globe on My Sister’s Grave
“Combines the best of a police procedural with a legal thriller, and the end result is outstanding . . . Dugoni continues to deliver emotional and gut-wrenching, character-driven suspense stories that will resonate with any fan of the thriller genre.”—Library Journal starred review of My Sister’s Grave, one of LJ’s picks for Best Thriller of 2014
The series
The rain-slicked streets of Seattle don’t give up their secrets easily—but detective Tracy Crosswhite never stops digging. Beneath the gray skies and murky alleys lies a world of long-buried truths, and in this gripping crime fiction series, one woman’s search for justice becomes a relentless journey through grief, corruption, and the shadows of the past.
Read full series description
Once a high school science teacher, Tracy’s life was upended by the disappearance of her younger sister. That personal loss became a driving force behind her transformation into one of Seattle’s most formidable homicide detectives. Each novel in this darkly atmospheric series peels back layers of the human psyche, exploring not just the mechanics of murder, but the quiet, aching spaces grief leaves behind.
The series opens with a cold case that hits too close to home, but it soon unfolds into something larger: a portrait of a city teeming with political games, twisted loyalties, and moral gray zones. Over the course of the books, readers witness Tracy evolve—not just as a detective, but as a woman struggling with trauma, love, and the high cost of truth.
Written with a precision that mirrors its protagonist’s analytical mind, the series balances the gritty realism of police procedurals with the emotional resonance of psychological thrillers. It doesn’t just ask who did it—it asks why, and what justice really means when the system itself is flawed.
With each installment, the tension builds—not through cheap shocks, but through carefully layered storytelling that lingers long after the final page. From serial killers and courtroom battles to betrayals within the force, every case Tracy takes on is a step deeper into the city’s darkest corners—and her own.
Perfect for fans of suspenseful detective fiction with strong female leads and morally complex mysteries, this series continues to captivate readers and critics alike, earning spots on bestseller lists and year-end accolades. But at its core, it’s one woman’s quiet defiance in the face of loss—and her refusal to let the dead be forgotten.
Step into Seattle’s shadows, and follow a detective who never lets them close in.
#0.2 · 2014The Academy 
#0.5 · 2015Third Watch 
#1 · 2014My Sister's Grave 
#2 · 2015Her Final Breath 
#3 · 2016In the Clearing 
#4 · 2017The Trapped Girl 
#5 · 2017Close to Home 
#6 · 2018A Steep Price 
#7 · 2020A Cold Trail 
#8 · 2021In Her Tracks 
#8.5 · 2021The Last Line 
#9 · 2022What She Found 
#10 · 2023One Last Kill 
#11 · 2025A Dead Draw 
#12 · 2026One Split Second 
#13 · 2027Graves Tell Lies Be the first reviewer
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