My Sister's Grave

Finish Time: 8 nights. Don’t let that fool you though – it took me a few nights to get going (and I’ve been extra tired), but I finished probably 75% of it in the last 3 (late) nights. This book really surprised me and I’m happy to have another 5-star review this year finally! This book was the whole package for me and I really had no idea where it was going to go. It kept me interested, throwing around different theories in my head, and completely guessing and frantically turning pages until the very end. 20 years ago, Tracy and Sarah Crosswhite (sisters) parted ways from a shooting tournament, Tracy to go get engaged, Sarah, supposed to be headed home. The next morning it was discovered that Sarah never made it home as her truck was discovered on the side of a country road. While her body was never found, a local with a sketchy past, Edmund House, was convicted of her murder and sent to jail. While for some, like Tracy & Sarah’s parents, this was closure enough (at least it was prior to their deaths), it wasn’t for Tracy who wouldn’t be satisfied until she knew the truth. At the time of Sarah’s disappearance, Tracy was a teacher/professor, but her own personal investigation into her sister’s death, began an obsession, and led her to make a career as a homicide detective in Seattle, WA. The story picks up at current day, 20 years after Sarah’s disappearance, when Sarah’s body is finally discovered. Motivated even more by new evidence, Tracy pushes to get the case re-opened by helping to get Edmund House a new trial based on inconsistencies she had found in her own personal investigations on his first trial. She is thrown back into a world that she has somewhat put behind her, in the community of Cedar Grove, who is still mourning the loss of one of their own. I enjoyed Tracy reconnecting with a childhood friend, Dan O’Leary and his two big dogs, Sherlock and Rex, as Dan also recently returned home to practice law. I enjoyed the banter with the local “brass”, as she called the authorities, and also with her co-workers in Seattle. Everything just flowed together flawlessly and made for a really enjoyable read. As I mentioned in true mystery novel sense, I had my guesses as to “who killed Sarah” and even came up with some theories of my own, but not one of them was close to the real story, which was nicely wrapped up in the end. It’s not that cut and dry, the book is so choke full of suspense, thrills, edge of your seat excitement, twists and turns, and even a little romance, that I’m afraid I’ll divulge too much if I say anymore! And bonus points to Mr. Dugoni for author’s notes at the end. Those are quickly becoming my favorite things to read as just a glimpse into the author’s background on why they wrote the story, who helped them, and/or how they came up with it. I will definitely read more of his books as the opportunity arises and kuddos to Kindle First for choosing this book to offer for October. And I did just notice that My Sister’s Grave is the first in a series, and while I’m not usually a series fan, this one has me hooked, so I’ll definitely be on the lookout for that one! My Sister’s Grave comes out Saturday November 1st – you really don’t want to miss this one!

Tracy's sister is missing and presumed dead. A psychopath convicted of killing her has been in prison for 20 years, but something's not right, as Tracy tries to find out what really happened to her sister and who's responsible. I brought this book a couple of years ago on promotion, and it somehow lay hidden in my ebook reading pile, until I recently stumbled over it. Now, I wished I'd read it earlier. It's a fast escape read for a rainy weekend or an exciting story for a long travel day when you need a distraction. The author's strong character development creates personalities you feel like you know, and his crisp dialog enlivens this focused story of a school teacher turned police detective, who's been privately researching her sister's disappearance for 20 years. Now she's questioning the validity of the trial of the convicted killer and the motives of those who put him in prison. Strange but interesting plotline! Tracy is a hard-headed woman who gets results, always challenging everyone's motives. Her obsession with her sister's untimely disappearance has dominated her life, ending her marriage, and lead her to a police career in Seattle. Now, shes back in her home town of Cedar Grove confronting her past when a body was found because of a receding reservoir. Because she has no jurisdictional authority, she's acting as a private citizen and member of the victim's family, something that threatens her career. Dugoni's suspenseful storytelling quickly caught my attention, holding it captive until the last page. Twists and turns kept the story lively, while raising more questions tgan answer. Definitely 4.5 Stars, although I questioned the believability of some plotline elements until I got to the end, when everything made sense. The strong backstory lays a good foundation to the series, and yet the book is a great standalone read too. Audible narration supplement served well to increase my story interest, although I confess to increasing the narrator speed successfully. Fun, entertaining read. Still considering pursuing the rest of the series because it's a major commitment.

Was not sure what to expect when I chose My Sister's Grave. Author Robert Dugoni does an excellent job of captivating his audience by spreading out the twists and turns throughout the book. The story begins by introducing Tracy Crosswhite, whose sister was abducted after her truck breaks down in a lonely country road. To add to the tragedy, the body was not discovered until several years later. As the story continues, the readers heart goes out to Tracy because more family tragedy continues. Author Dugoni describes early on, the connection that the two sisters had from the time they were little. The reader can only imagine the guilt that Sarah is experiencing because she feels that she failed her sister and her father, the day Sarah was abducted. As mentioned, there are unexpected twists and turns throughout the book that make it difficult to close the book, at the end of a chapter. The ending was somewhat expected, however the turn of events leading up to the final chapters was completely unexpected by the interaction that Tracy and her sisters killer have. The final chapters will keep the reader captive until the very end. At 418 pages, the book is easy and quick to read. A recommendation to add, would be to consider reading the Summary and Analysis by Book Sense prior to reading the book. You have the option of ordering the Summary and Analysis separately. You will get a book review, story setting, details of characters and character analysis and more. With the large content that this book holds, it could be beneficial to have this addition prior to beginning the book. I was glad to hear that My Sister's Grave was named one of Mystery Magazines Best Books of the Year. Congratulations. Well done!!

Please note that while I have reported to Amazon that my review of Robert Dugoni novel 'My Sister's Grave' also appears under his novel 'Her Final Breath', I have been told the books are linked and so I cannot leave separate reviews for each book. As a result, I provide a review of 'My Sister's Grave' first and follow it with a review of 'Her Final Breath'. I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you. Review of My Sister's Grave: Headline: A brilliant, police procedural & legal thriller that is deceptively easy to read & one that you'll find hard to put down. When I was at school I remember some teachers of English literature asking me what a book was about and I would say (for example) "It's a story about a murder and the search for the murderer" ... to which they would reply (much to my annoyance), "Yes, Paul, but what is it REALLY about?". Reading this terrific story reminded me of those school days as on one level this is a relatively straightforward story about a police investigation into a cold case and the courtroom drama that follows. However, there is so much more to this story than that. This is a story about relationships, guilt and the search for justice. 'My Sister's Grave' is a very well written book. The setting is very atmospheric; set in winter in a small town in the United States, it focuses on the ramifications following the accidental discovery of the body of Sarah Crosswhite, some twenty years after she had disappeared. Tracy Crosswhite, her older sister, has never got over feeling responsible for the disappearance of Sarah, to whom she was devoted. It affected her life, her marriage and her subsequent choice of career. Now, on hearing the news that her sister's body has been found, Tracy hopes that the police will be able to find the real killer as she is convinced that the man who had been convicted for her murder had been convicted on hearsay and somewhat questionable evidence. The story follows Tracy, now a detective, as she returns to her hometown to follow the investigation and to participate in the court hearing regarding whether or not the original sentence should be quashed. It also explores the ramifications that the discovery has on those residents who, while still alive today, were involved in the original investigation. The story flits between the past and the present but it is not difficult to follow. There are a few red herrings and a number of moments of high drama and tension as the story unfolds, with the courtroom scenes being particularly dramatic. In this respect the story is riveting and once 'hooked' I just could not put it down. But for me, this story is more than just a police procedural and legal thriller. The author has captured a sense of the emotional bond that can exist between siblings (or sisters in this case) and the lasting impact and feelings of guilt that an action for which a person holds themselves responsible, has on their life. It also questions the relationships between the police and the judiciary. It examines how different people react when faced with a possible miscarriage of justice and a need to 'put things right'. And it also raises the issue of whether it is possible to trust oneself to become emotionally attached to another person following the experience of a marriage that had not survived a traumatic event. So while one can really enjoy this story as a relatively straightforward police procedural and legal thriller (and with a hint of romance thrown into the mix), for me it went much further. It has certainly left me wanting to read more of the books in the Tracy Crosswhite series by Robert Dugoni. Review of 'Her Final Breath' Headline: A terrific crime thriller that has a gripping plot and great characterisation. 'Her Final Breath' is a brilliant follow-up novel to 'Her Sister's Grave', but it is not essential to have read the first book in the series as there are sufficient references to it in this novel to ensure one understands Tracy's back-story and why she reacts to certain situations in the way she does. The main aspects of this novel that impressed me are (1) its writing - a real page turner of a story that is easy to read and follow; (2) the characterisation - all the characters are totally believable, including the bad guys and (3) the plot - very dramatic and increasingly so as it nears its dramatic climax. One thing to be aware of is that the story contains a lot of characters and a number of possible suspects for the crime ... this should not be a problem if you have a good memory! The plot follows Tracy's efforts to find a serial killer. It has plenty of twists and turns and 'false leads' and some shenanigans by her boss just to add further complexity and tension. In short, this is a terrific story and it has resulted in my buying the next book in the series!

I was intrigued, enraged, heartbroken and revenged. Had to take a quick break midway to compose myself, then jumped right back in.

An exciting well written detective with à personal storyline. A good twist at the end which I did guess but very late on. Likeable characters. Will read more

I’ve always liked Robert Dugoni but hadn’t read this series. Book one is a great start with interesting characters and lots of great action to keep you entertained. I’ll be on to the second book in the series next

Muy buen libro una historia que te engancha y te hace querer seguir leyendo Sin duda recomendado