The Academy

Tracy Crosswhite #0.25

by Robert Dugoni

Driven by the disappearance of her sister, Tracy Crosswhite quits her job as a high school science teacher to join the Seattle Police Department. While most of her classmates and instructors at the academy want her to succeed, Detective Johnny Nolasco is hell-bent on keeping the boys’ club intact.

The training sessions offer plenty of opportunities for humiliation, but Tracy’s not the type to give in. Fueled by a confrontation with her in the middle of a class, Nolasco is determined to see Tracy fail. Tracy, harboring memories of the loss of her sister and the disintegration of her family, has too much at stake to let one pigheaded detective stand in her way. With so much to lose, will she make the cut in this competitive world?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Short Stories, Thriller, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

43 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 9, 2014

About the author

Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite police series set in Seattle, which has sold more than 11 million books worldwide. He is also the author of The Charles Jenkins espionage series, the David Sloane legal thriller series, and The Keera Duggan legal thriller series. He has written several stand-alone novels including the historical novels A Killing on the Hill and Hold Strong, as well as the suspense novel The 7th Canon, and Damage Control. He has written the literary novels, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell - one of Newsweek Magazine's Best Books of All-Time and Suspense Magazine’s 2018 Book of the Year, for which Dugoni’s narration won an AudioFile Earphones Award. He has also written the critically acclaimed novel, The World Played Chess; as well as the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. His novels have been optioned for movies and television series. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and a four-time winner of the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He has also been a finalist for many other awards including the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award.

Robert Dugoni’s books are sold in more than thirty-five countries and have been translated into more than thirty languages.

Visit his website at www.robertdugoni.com, and follow him on twitter @robertdugoni and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorRobertDugoni

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Academy , Robert Dugoni uses a short story to set up the Tracy Crosswhite police procedural series. This prequel introduces readers to Tracy and her reasons for wanting to eventually become a homicide detective. It also gives readers an insight into what some women have experienced when training to enter a job that is or has been largely held by men. While these experiences don’t happen all of the time, they do happen to some women.

Tracy quit her job as a high school chemistry teacher to pursue a career in the Seattle Police Department. The book starts with her interview and continues through her experiences at the police training academy in Washington and is set in 1996. Despite being somewhat over the top, including some stereotypes and being predictable, I enjoyed getting to know Tracy before she joined the Seattle police department.

With a strong, smart, tough and confident protagonist, Dugoni managed to give Tracy character depth for such a short introduction to her. She was a likeable character with an inquisitive nature that is also willing to help others.

Overall, this was a good introduction to Tracy and gives the backstory that should enable book one to fly. It had a great setting and was engaging, entertaining and well-paced. I’ve read one of the books in this series and I plan to read them all. I highly recommend this series to those that enjoy police procedurals, mysteries and crime novels and am looking forward to reading the first book in the series.

I purchased a digital copy of this prequel. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and are not biased in any way. Publication date was September 9, 2014.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so ready for this series! I'm all things Seattle and Tracy Crosswhite is my kind of bad ass girl! Bring. It. On.

[Jonetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seattle Police Department is selecting new recruits to join the force with a specific mandate to seek out a few women. Tracy Crosswhite is a chemistry teacher who has applied, along with another young woman. One detective on the selection committee is determined to help her fail before she graduates from the Academy.

This was short but feels like a perfect setup for what’s to come as I can’t wait to dig into the series. We get a taste of what Tracy may be facing based on the misogynistic behavior of some of the members of the department. I really like her style and she’s cool under pressure. Tracy’s also quick witted if how she handled a dicey situation in the Academy is an indicator. I listened to the story and am impressed with the narrator who will be the voice for the series. She distinguished the characters nicely, adding flavor to those who needed some. I’m definitely getting the audiobooks and am eager to get started.

Posted on Blue Mood Café

[Tulay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Start of new series.

Read the other books in this series. Detail description of how and why Tracy Crosswhite started in this police department, read this book first. Her relationship with men and woman in this police department.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Academy” by Robert Dugoni, is a short story prequel to “My Sister’s Grave”. Here we get a great introduction to the character of Tracy Crosswhite, who leaves a job as chemistry teacher to apply for a job in law enforcement. In this short story we get to follow Tracy Crosswhite during her training at the police academy. I've already read My Sister's Grave, so I was familiar with the characters. A very involving read that provided more in depth character development, for preparation for further books to come in the series. I really liked Tracy’s strong character and determination in her approach to life.

[Alex ♈ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You don’t ever let a man put his hands on you if you don’t want him to." 
"I don’t care who he is," Tracy continued. “Nobody touches you. If he does, you fight like hell. You do what you have to do."

A short prequel to "My Sister's Grave". It tells about how Tracy Crosswhite, a former chemistry teacher, started her police career.

I don't give 5 stars often, and I never did for such a short story, but this one was perfect. Incredible heroine! How she stood up for her female colleague, how she stood up against harassment - I'm in love with Tracy!

"Seattle’s never had a female homicide detective. Did you know that?" Granum asked.

"Then I intend to be the first."

"Do you believe you have the skills to do that?2 Decker asked.
"I had the skills to get seventeen-year-old boys to sit in their seats for fifty-five minutes and keep their mouths shut. And we didn’t get to use handcuffs."

[Dez the Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

*Eyeroll*. *HARD eyeroll*

This is absolutely absurd. Set in the 90’s at a police academy (which by the by, I have a husband who happened to go through the academy at the exact same time frame as this story was set in so I know how bogus this book is), the story details a female going through the process. The problem? HIGHLY unbelievable, disgustingly misogynistic, too little story and a whole LOT about breast squeezing. Seriously??

Immediately put this author in my Do NOT read list. Just nope.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Academy is a neat little short story written by Robert Dugoni as a prequel for his best-selling first entry in the Tracy Crosswhite series, My Sister’s Grave. The Academy takes us back to 1996 and introduces us to the protagonist, Tracy Crosswhite, as she applies for and enters the police academy. After reading this short story, my overall opinion can really be summed up in 4 words: I like Tracy Crosswhite. I like her a lot.

Tracy is not a mental mess. She does not carry a load of demons with her at all times. To me, Tracy seems rather normal for a suspense thriller leading character. Wow, how unusual. Yes, she did have something bad happen in her life. In 1993, her sister, whose body was actually never found, was presumed murdered in the first degree, and a man went to prison for the crime. This event was the catalyst for Tracy to give up her high school chemistry teaching position in order to pursue a career as a police officer, and eventually a homicide detective.

In this 44 page story, we see Tracy enter a “man’s world” and not only survive, but help the only other female recruit graduate and earn the highest respect of all her male peers and most of her superiors as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Academy and meeting Tracy Crosswhite. The first thing I did when I finished the story was to find myself a copy of My Sister’s Grave. Mr. Dugoni has a new fan.

[Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three years before this short story, set in Washington state, opens, small-town high school chemistry teacher Tracy Crosswhite lost her beloved younger sister, a presumed homicide victim. (Her body was never found, but a paroled rapist was convicted of her murder.) Burdened by grief, their father killed himself a couple of years later. Tracy's reaction to this double tragedy has finally become the catalyst driving her to quit her teaching career at the age of 25, and apply for a position on the Seattle police force. She's not without some inherent qualifications for that job. Not only is she tall and strong (5' 10" and an in-shape 130 lbs.), she started shooting competitively at the age of 15 and holds three consecutive Washington State shooting championships. But a police academy is a grueling training environment. Will she have what it takes to stick it out, and to pass the requisite tests? Well --given that this is a prequel e-story to the author's popular Tracy Crosswhite novel series, whose title character is a Seattle cop, most readers won't consider that seriously in question. But that isn't a spoiler, because the meat of the story is in the journey, not the destination. And there will be plenty of suspense along the way, even if the end is surmised.

At 44 pages, this is at the longish end of the "short" story spectrum, and follows Tracy from her application interview through her time at the Academy. It provides a clear, realistic picture of some of the procedures and personality dynamics in modern police training, with some insight into the special challenges that women recruits have to undergo. Dugoni's writing is clear and well adopted to his purpose, textured but not excessively ornate or descriptive; his storytelling is absorbing and nicely paced. I read the tale in one sitting, and I think most readers will want to. His characterizations are excellent, living and three-dimensional, especially (but not exclusively) Tracy herself; she's a strong-inside, intelligent woman with genuine character, a lot of guts, and compassionate instincts, as well as some believable emotional baggage from the horrific family tragedies she's experienced. If she were an actual person (and she easily could be!) she's the kind of lady I'd be proud to have for a friend --or, if I'd ever had a son, for a daughter-in-law.

Although the Tracy Crosswhite series as such is mystery-crime fiction, this story isn't really that; we're strictly in the sphere of police training here, with no actual crime being investigated. I've classified it as general fiction: a realistic, descriptive account of modern life, though in the milieu of people who work at combating crime, or are training to. (Tracy's qualifications for my "action heroines" shelf are displayed in her handling of the physical challenges of her training --and if you read the story, I think you'll agree with that placement!) It's clearly intended as an appetizer for the series, though, furnishing an introduction to the protagonist and a sense of what drives her. Personally, I haven't rushed to add the series opener to my to-read shelf; but that's only because I'm not looking to add to that shelf, or to get sucked into another ongoing series, right now. If your immediate reading plans are more open, and you like a mystery series with this type of heroine, I'm guessing this one would be a good bet!

There's no actual sexual content here (though there's some sexual harassment); Tracy's not looking for a relationship at this time in her life. However, there is a sprinkling of bad language --mostly not too rough, but including a couple of f-words, a p-word (and no, it's not "piss") and a misuse of Jesus' name. On the whole, I considered the speaking styles in the bounds of realism for the way many of these characters would talk. (The obscenity, and most of the "crude vulgarities" --which made another character feel "nauseated"-- come from just one character, and reflect the fact that his personality IS crude and nauseating. Few if any readers would adopt him as a role model.)

[Susan (on hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Johnny Got Yer Gun

Never having read a Tracy Crosswhite book, I began with this introduction detailing Tracy's debut.

Tracy will be hired on to the Seattle force upon passing her police academy training. Beyond her skills in fitness, marksmanship, and reasoning, she must also get past her nemesis Johnny Nolasco and his misogyny. Times, they are a changing and the Good Ole Boy club is being pressured to include females. Enter Tracy with aspirations to become a homicide detective and thus separate Nolasco from his job.

This is a short story, a prequel and the perfect exposure to the series. I'm not usually drawn to serials but I'm going to continue with this one.

What's not to like about a kick ass lady cop? I'm there - and have ordered the first full length novel to continue my start.

[Darren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Possibly a generous 3. I really enjoyed the first book in the series but this prequel was just okay

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Academy is a prequel short story to Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite series. This one let's us in on how Tracy came to give up her career teaching high school chemistry to interviewing and being accepted in to the police academy. Crosswhite is a very likable character and I liked how she stood up for Almond and battled the "old boy's club" attitude of Nelasco. A highly recommended quick butvworthehile read!

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes a book just sort of “falls” into your hands – or however that happens these days with electronic readers. Anyway, that’s how I came to read Robert Dugoni’s The Academy. I have wanted to read Dugoni for quite a while now, and there was his short story, begging to be read. The Academy is the prequel to his novel, My Sister’s Grave, and now I can’t wait to read that.

Tracy Crosswhite is an accomplished high school chemistry teacher who quits her job to join the Seattle Police Department. The disappearance of her sister in 1993 is what motivates her to pass the rigorous training and join the force. Although her sister’s body was never found, a man was tried and convicted for murder. Now Tracy aspires to excel and eventually become Seattle’s first female homicide detective. But a hard-nosed male chauvinist cop in charge of the trainees, Johnny Nolasco, is just as determined to keep her out of the department. But Tracy manages to show leadership and gumption. She takes the other female trainee under her wing and helps her to gain confidence and skill. She also garners the admiration of her male colleagues. Does she win over Nolasco in the end? You have to read the story to find out.

I enjoyed the character of Tracy very much, and I liked Mr. Dugoni’s straightforward writing style in this book. The department portrayed in this short story is a man’s world, and Tracy Crosswhite has to battle gender bias and harassment as she learns the ins and outs of police procedures and physical training. She proves herself to be intelligent, tough, and compassionate. I definitely plan to read more Tracy Crosswhite – on purpose next time!

4 stars

[Mica Santos ⇢ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encanta Tracy, esto empezó excelente.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dugoni offers a wonderful precursor to his new Tracy Crosswhite series. After suffering the worst experience of her life when her sister was murdered, Tracy Crosswhite sought solace in the classroom, teaching chemistry to high schoolers, where she had control of it all. Choosing to step out of her comfort zone, Crosswhite applies for the police academy, seeking to find justice for Sarah's murder. While the road is long and winding, Crosswhite is determined to make it through the nineteen-week course before being rewarded with a position on the force, allowing ascension to become a homicide detective. However, Tracy meets those along the way who will stop at nothing to ensure her academy time is fraught with obstacles and misdirection. Whether she can withstand the pressure is all on her. Dugoni's new series begins with a bang, as the reader is introduced to young Tracy Crosswhite, a powerhouse with which to be reckoned.

I have come to appreciate Robert Dugoni and his writing style for a long time. When I heard of his new series, I was eager to see if it held up to his past successes. Tackling the first novel in the series, I came to realise that Tracy Crosswhite would be a force of nature driven by desire and passion to crack open the most important case of her life. With this brief introduction, Dugoni offers a teaser into what will surely be a complex character and one who uses her skills rather than her gender to climb the ladder, pushing those who seek to hamper her abilities well out of her way.

Kudos, Mr. Dugoni for this wonderful short story. I know this series will go places and I intend on seeing the route you have in store for your readers.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella is the prequel to Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite series. Tracy quits her job as a high school Chemistry teacher and joins the Seattle Police Academy. She is driven to become a detective after her younger sister disappeared several years ago. Her body was never found. But before doing this, Tracy must make her way through the rigors of police training and go up against the male chauvinist attitude of her training instructor, Detective Johnny Nolasco.

This is a nice peek into the Tracy Crosswhite series. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and am ready to jump into the series. My rating: 4.5 Stars.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short rea (it took me about 40 minutes) introduces the wonderful Tracy Crosswhite, and could either be read first, or at any time through the series as it describes events which a referred to in the full novels.
As it happens I’ve read the first four in the last couple of months and have been holding myself back from the last three as it don’t want to finish the series too quickly - it’s that good. This is the first of two novellas about Tracy’s early years and made an excellent palate cleanser before I start my next ARC.

Tracy is a 25 year old chemistry teacher who has decided to join the police as a result of her younger sister’s murder three years earlier. One of the instructors, Johnny Nolasco, a preening misogynist bully, takes against her from the start but learns the hard way not to mess with her. Knowing what was going to happen in no way lessened my enjoyment as young Tracy proves she’s got what it takes, but also generously helps the only other female recruit, Jenny Almond, who we meet again in Book Two.

I love Dugoni’s writing and the characters he’s created, and would recommend the series to anyone who likes a tough smart heroine and intelligent mysteries.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE ACADEMY is a prequel that introduces readers to Tracy Crosswhite and details her introduction and training time in the police academy. It might be a short story, but it will pull the reader right in and never let them go! Tracey is a high school chemistry teacher from a small Washington State town. She decides to step out of her comfort zone and applies for the police academy, seeking to find justice for her sister Sarah’s murder.

The twists and turns in THE ACADEMY are going to drive you crazy trying to figure things out. Robert Dugoni reels in his readers with quite a hook. I am kicking myself for taking so long to finally pick this perfect book up! I’m so excited to continue this series! THE ACADEMY is the first book I’ve ever read by Robert Dugoni and it certainly won’t be the last. He has a way of intertwining lives and making you feel like you have a front row seat into their story. All the main characters get introduced within a few pages right at the beginning. I sometimes get confused by many characters entering the scene at once, and then have trouble telling them apart. That is not the case with this story! The actual plot is a thrilling and interesting one, but it was the characters who circled it that really compelled me to keep reading.

THE ACADEMY reads as if it is a true story in police departments all over the country. Tracy holds her own against the jerks that do all they can to make her life a living hell. And through it all, she goes above and beyond to help a fellow female officer. I’ve heard great things about the Tracy Crosswhite series and I’ve wanted to pick it up for a while. I am happy to see there are two prequel novellas to the series, this one and a second one detailing a case from during Tracy’s time as a patrol officer. Just when the reader thinks they have it all figured out, forget it! They are totally wrong! Haha don’t you love when an author does that to you?

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

This is a prequel that introduces readers to Tracy Crosswhite and details her introduction and training time in the police academy. It might be a short story, but it packs a hell of a punch. I actually read this story after completing the first four books in the series, and I might have more appreciation for it because of how much I’ve come to admire Detective Tracy Crosswhite.

There’s a history of animosity between Tracy and her douchebag, chauvinist pig of a boss, Captain Johnny Nolasco, and this gives more background and insight into that. It demonstrates the sexist bullshit women have to deal with on a daily basis, especially those who have fought for and earned a rightful place in male-dominated fields like the police department. It’s more than satisfying when Tracy lays Nolasco flat with an elbow to the nose and a kick to the groin when he acts like an ass during a training exercise.

[Debby *BabyDee* · Rating 5 out of 5]

A first for me by this author and looking forward to more. Great intro novella to start this series.

**Re-listen and second time around...this is still a very great start to this series**

[Amy J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read the first couple of the Tracy Crosswhite series and enjoyed them. So, this short prequel piqued my interest.

The novella shows Tracy's admission and time through the Washington state policy academy. Of course, she runs into some difficulties being only one of two women in the class. It does a good job introducing her character to those that want to read the series centering on her time as a detective years later.

At the time of this review, both the ebook and audiobook were available on Kindle Unlimited.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this novella, by Robert Dugoni, that introduces Tracy Crosswhite in the "Tracy Crosswhite" series!

[Kat (Books are Comfort Food) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the start of the series

I enjoyed this short story to learn how it all began. And glad more books in the series are coming through.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Academy is a short story prequel in the Tracy Crosswhite series by best-selling award-winning American author, Robert Dugoni. In 1996, Tracy Crosswhite abandons her career as a high school chemistry teacher to attend the Police Academy. She doesn’t deny that the murder of her younger sister is the impetus for this radical change, but she impresses the brass during her interview. It’s during this interview that she first encounters Johnny Nolasco and his crude vulgarities, but Tracy easily maintains her poise.

Their later interactions are equally disagreeable, but Recruit Crosswhite manages to stand up for herself and the other female recruit. During the recruits’ final test, shooting, Tracy’s stellar performance puts a large dent in Nolasco’s ego, unfortunately putting her permanently in his sights as a subordinate officer. But Tracy is nothing if not determined.

This is an excellent little taste of Tracy Crosswhite that provides her back story and her early history with the obnoxious Nolasco. Well worth the small price.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed so many books by author Robert Dugoni this year but unfortunately this one was just ok. A short story is always a struggle for me and even though the characters were familiar to me the plot lacked any real depth as many short stories do.

Tracey Crosswhite left her job as a high school science teacher to join the Seattle Police Department following the disappearance and death of her younger sister Sarah. Losing Sarah hit the family hard and had serious consequences for her family Now Tracey is searching for justice with the Seattle Police, but first she is forced to face the humiliation of the training sessions with plenty of chauvinistic colleagues.

I have read and enjoyed all the books in this series which were far better reads in my opinion. Good quick read but nothing more.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good story to the Tracy Crosswhite series!

[Tammie P ℓօรƭเɳαɓօօҡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Academy (Tracy Crosswhite #0.25) by Robert Dugoni recounts Tracy’s entry into the police force.

The story begins with her selection as a recruit, giving readers an inside look at the selection process and a front-row seat to her entrance interview. We witness the friction between Tracy and Nolasco at the academy, and, most importantly, see the two major incidents frequently referenced in later books unfold in real time. Tracy remains her usual helpful, determined self, providing a sharp contrast to Nolasco’s antagonistic behavior.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. ​This short story serves as an excellent prequel to the series. Even as a standalone introduction, it establishes Tracy as a likable, resilient protagonist that readers will want to follow.

I highly recommend this to all fans of the series or anyone looking for a strong entry point into Tracy’s world.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you could want in a short story that is a prequel to an increasing popular series.
Readers starting here, with no great commitment of time or resources will be compelled to read on to learn about Tracy's quest.
It is good to find a new author; especially one who is as assurred as Robert Dugoni, it allows you to immediately feel at home and relax into their work. Some writers are like brand new shoes at first; a little uncomfortable and left in them too long you may suffer some discomfort. Not so here; comfy slippers and like listening to a favourite grandparent share a tale.
Having been drawn to his books by his reviews alone I felt it about time I read them myself. As is my choice I prefer to read in some chronological order so this was a very good place to start.
Why Tracy would leave a successful career as a teacher. Can the death of a relative really be sufficient motivation to seek to become a cop and investigate that crime if ever the opportunity arose. While the authorities may welcome a female officer could her own crusade for truth and justice prevent her from progressing in her new career.
Well we begin here at the police academy minus all the jokes the films brought us. These few short pages firmly establish her character and motivation, perhaps also pointing to some weakness and quilt she may need to overcome.
If she's strong enough to graduate will she be mentally prepared and fit to survive the journey to becoming a detective.
Great beginning, who could not want to see how the story unfolds?

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
Alex turned me onto this author with her review for this short story which is a precursor to Robert Dugoni's Tracey Crosswhite (she's a homicide detective) series.
It details her days in the police academy and this story is a standout. I am in no doubt whatsoever that I am going to love the full length novels.
The writing is superb and I am already in love with this smart and gutsy heroine.
Bravo, I say and bring it on.💖💖💖💖

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely going to check out the next book 📖 and seeing if Tracy and I get along:)

I did like how she put that a**hole in his place hehe

*Read via Kindle Unlimited and audible audio *

Narration and story: 4 stars 🌟