My Sister’s Grave

Expert pacing saves the day in this standalone novel from Dugoni (The Conviction) starring Det. Tracy Crosswhite, a Seattle policewoman obsessed with solving the supposedly closed case of her sister Sarah’s disappearance. When the young woman’s remains are finally discovered, Tracy returns to her hometown of Cedar Grove, Wash., in the Cascade Mountains. She is determined to reevaluate the evidence that sent suspicious local man Edmund House to prison for Sarah’s rape and murder 20 years before. Dan O’Leary, one of Tracy’s childhood friends who is now an outstanding courtroom lawyer (and virile but sensitive stud), assists her in obtaining a hearing to free Edmund and reopen the case. The plot elements may not be exactly fresh, but Dugoni does a superior job of positioning them for maximum impact, especially in a climactic scene set in an abandoned mine during a blizzard—which is melodramatic but nevertheless effective. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Oct.)