The Trapped Girl is the fourth book in the Tracy Crosswhite series, one of my favorite series from one of my favorite authors.  Have I oversold it yet?  Robert Dugoni does an excellent job creating interesting crimes that never have an obvious culprit, which keeps the stories propelling forward with ease.  If you haven’t read the first three, I definitely recommend you go do it, but the novels are contained enough to be read separately as well.

A high schooler sneaking out with his crab pot illegally one morning snags onto a crab pot that isn’t his, and is shocked to see a human hand sticking up out of the mesh.  Tracy and her team are on call for homicide and arrive shortly after.  At first, it seems the girl has no verifiable identity.  After the autopsy, it is clear that whoever Jane Doe was, she was going to great lengths to change her physical appearance, suggesting she was hiding from someone.  When a lead makes Tracy and her team believe she may be a girl who went missing mysteriously months before, it becomes more and more obvious that this girl found in a trap was trapped by her life even before her murder.  With a suspiciously arrogant and angry husband, and only a few friends to speak to, it seems like Tracy will struggle to figure out this girls past.

The book is perfectly paced, and keeps you engaged all throughout.  I was sad when it came to an end and realized I would have to wait until September for the 5th Tracy Crosswhite.  Add this one to your list!