My Sister's Grave

- By Robert Dugoni

Oh Boy!! It was a fast paced, adrenaline pumping, emotional ride to closure. I could hardly take my eyes off the page.

Sarah Crosswhite disappears on a storm ridden night, while driving home. In the subsequent investigation, Edmund House, a convicted rapist , is tried and arrested for Sarah's murder, though her body was never found. The evidence was flimsy and the trial was a mere formality. The town moved on, however, her sister Tracy and her family, did not get the closure they sought.

Twenty years later, a dog digs up a bone that is identified to be that of Sarah Crosswhite. At that time, Tracy is with the Seattle Police department, as a detective, still trying to find the answers as to what happened to her sister on that fateful night. The evidence found in her sister's grave conflicts with the evidence twenty years ago. Tracy, convinced of a cover up, intends to seek justice. She reaches out to her childhood friend Dan O'Leary, who is now practicing law in Cedar Grove to help release an innocent from jail and to reopen the investigation of her sister's murder.

The rest of the story, moving between past and present, unveils the truth, bit by bit, as to what happened to Sarah. In her quest for truth, Tracy steps on a lot of shoes, but, she perseveres to the end, to find the answers. But, can she handle what she finds? Should she have left the dead for the dead, instead of seeking answers that should have been left buried, along with her sister?

Robert Dugoni does a fabulous job of keeping the suspense until the very end and misleading quite convincingly. I loved the characters in the novel. Just when I thought, this is the one who did it, I am faced with another side of the character, that had me rethinking! The characters had different shades, each contrasting and humane.

For a crime thriller, this still managed to evoke all the emotional triggers of love, affection, loyalty, friendship and courage, which was a pleasant surprise. The novel was well written, precise and logical. And the final twist?? I sure did not see it coming, I can tell you that much!

Not the sort to pick up if you are in a hurry to be somewhere. And certainly not for a bedtime read, you won't get any!!

For all fellow readers, who love a good crime thriller, this is a MUST read!!