The story begins with a high school student who goes out crabbing on Puget Sound and pulls up a larger, heavier crab pot in addition to his crab pot early one morning. The larger one contains the remains of a young woman who was shot in the head. Tracy Crosswhite and her team are on duty. They determine who they think the woman was and go about trying to figure out who killed her, until they discover that she actually disappeared during a climb of Mount Rainier and was missing, presumed dead. As they are putting the pieces together, the sheriff's office from Pearson County demands the case back since the victim is their missing person. As usual, Tracy and her A Team try to complete some facets of their investigation just after turning over the case which places them in trouble. One night Tracy has a vivid dream about this murder which sets her on a slightly different path. Tracy and Dan decide to get married. ( )

Now I'm hooked. Even though Dugoni wrote Book #4 in his Tracy Crosswhite Series with the usual twists and turns of a murder mystery, there are enough surprises and more than once, not what I thought was going to happen did happen. Some romance but not too much; some journeys around Washington state; many of the same characters from the previous three books further developed; still some whining by the main character; and so after four books the characters almost feel like family and Washington feels, once again, like home. It has a dark, disgusting start, which has been revealed by numerous reviews, but that should not stop you from reading this interesting and well-crafted mystery. And, hey, it's woman-centered too. ( )

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley who provided me another incredible read by [a: Robert Dugoni|63650|Robert Dugoni|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1405264763p2/63650.jpg]. I read [b: The Trapped Girl: The Tracy Crosswhite Series #4] in hours.

Seattle detective Tracy Crosswhite's strength comes from being shattered. Over the years, she is put back together by helping solve violent crimes.

[b: The Trapped Girl|30226698|The Trapped Girl (Tracy Crosswhite #4)|Robert Dugoni|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471630062s/30226698.jpg|50686013] stands alone. [b: My Sister's Grave: #1|22341263|My Sister's Grave (Tracy Crosswhite, #1)|Robert Dugoni|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405267054s/22341263.jpg|41739579] tells of her heartbreaking start and the tragedies of her young adult years.

[a: Robert Dugoni|63650|Robert Dugoni|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1405264763p2/63650.jpg] has insight into what a strong person is made of. He is also good at showing weak and wicked people who cause tragedy daily.

"The Trapped Girl" was layer upon layer of surprise, suspense, and intrigue. You will never meet another woman like Tracy Crosswhite, and you will gasp, cry and cheer at her life.

I cannot fathom how Dugoni can top this, but I look forward to finding out. Thank you.

The Kindle ARC e-book was free in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Another strong entry in the Tracy Crosswhite series by Robert Dugoni. This time around the murder is less of a cold case and more of a deep mystery. The identity of the victim, discovered by accident in a crab pot in the frigid water of Puget Sound, seems obvious after a bit of forensics. That also reveals an obvious suspect and their motives. But the clues never add up until the final chapters. Just following the investigation and getting to know the investigators on Tracy's team a little better make a wonderful story.

The author isn't satisfied with that story. He also weaves in the background story from the perspective of the victim. This both clarifies and confounds (in a good way) the reader's understanding of what's going on. There is misdirection all around. I can hardly wait for Mr. Dugoni's next entry.

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

Book 4 of Tracy Crosswhite series.
When a teen boy pulls up his crab pot, he makes a gruesome discovery-it isn't his crab pot and a body is stuffed inside. Tracy and Kins start investigating and find that the body is that of a missing person using an alias. The search takes Tracy from Seattle to OR to CA to discover who killed the woman and of course, to follow the money.
Dan and Tracy's relationship deepens - and Dugoni gives it a sweet, romantic treatment.
As usual, a well plotted and executed mystery with a few twists. Looking forward to book 5! ( )