Third Watch

Tracy Crosswhite #0.5

by Robert Dugoni

Tracy Crosswhite’s ordinary night patrolling her Seattle beat becomes front page news when she responds to a domestic disturbance call that turns into a hostage crisis.

In this prequel short story to Robert Dugoni’s #1 Kindle-bestselling novel, My Sister’s Grave, Tracy Crosswhite is a young patrol officer, paying her dues, keeping her head down, and hoping a solid record will get her promoted to detective. While years have passed since the disappearance of Tracy’s sister, the experience has made her one of the city’s most dedicated cops.

Reporter Tevia Kushman is shadowing Tracy on a ride-along seeking to follow-up on a recent (and nasty) exposé about the Seattle PD’s treatment of female cops. Young and ambitious, Tevia is hoping for a juicy scoop on the gender politics of the PD, but may get a much bigger story than she bargained for…

Neither woman expects a routine-sounding call to turn into something dangerous, until Tracy walks into a domestic dispute and finds herself looking down the barrel of a shot-gun. No stranger to high-pressure situations, Tracy must draw on more than just her academy training and lightning-fast shooting skills to find a way to talk down—or take out—the volatile man holding the gun.

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

48 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 16, 2015

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 5 out of 5]

In Third Watch , Robert Dugoni uses a short story to continue to set up the Tracy Crosswhite police procedural series. This second prequel introduces readers to Tracy six years after she graduates from the police academy. Tracy is still a patrol officer hoping to get promoted to detective. Freelance reporter Tevia Kushman is shadowing Tracy on a ride-along. She is hoping to get insight into the gender politics within the police department.

With a strong, smart, tough, and confident protagonist, Dugoni managed to give Tracy’s character depth for such a short introduction to her. She’s dedicated and hard-working as well as being a likeable character with an inquisitive nature that is also willing to help others. While she tends to stay out of politics, she isn’t a shrinking violet, as her encounter with Detective Nolasco shows.

Overall, this was a good continuation of the introduction of Tracy and gives more backstory that should enable book one to fly. It was engaging, entertaining, intense, and well-paced. It also left me wanting more. I’ve read one of the books in this series plus the other prequel 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 August 16, 2015.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of two prequels to what I hear is a fabulous series—the Tracy Crosswhite novels. I loved prequel #1, The Academy, and decided to pick up this short story as well. The verdict is I am really excited to dive into the first novel, My Sister’s Grave.

Though Third Watch is only 44 pages, it packs a punch. We learn so much about Tracy, and I can tell you, I’m loving her already. She is a young patrol cop in this story, which takes place six years after The Academy (I advise that one be read first). Tracy becomes involved in a tense situation where she has no partner and no backup. She must achieve control over an armed and dangerous man. If she fails to do so, the man’s wife and two young daughters (not to mention Tracy) will be in dire straits. I was rooting like crazy for Tracy to pull this off. The way she handled the situation and the aftermath was admirable, to say the least. This is a character I’m going to love to follow.

If that wasn’t enough to fill 44 pages, we also get an interesting subplot involving the lack of promotion of women, thought by many to be gender-related, in the Seattle Police Department.

A big highlight for me was the encounter between Tracy and her former nemesis in The Academy, Detective Nolasco, at the end of the story. Bravo! Bring on the novels!

[Jonetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seattle Police Officer Tracy Crosswhite has been a patrol officer for six years despite having applied for several promotions. She’s assigned a freelance journalist as a ride along following a damaging exposé by a television reporter citing sexism within the department. Tracy begins her night shift, referred to as third watch, when she responds to a domestic disturbance call that immediately escalates.

This isn’t your typical short story where you’re left feeling like you wanted more of something. It nimbly sets up the political situation the department and Tracy is mired in before she answers that call and then shifts to the tension and suspense surrounding a volatile domestic call. Everything that happens next kept me edgy and riveted. And, it delivered an ending that had me smiling. Now I’m ready for the first full length book in what promises to be a great series. This was perfect.

Posted on Blue Mood Café

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another prequel to the Tracy Crosswhite series following the first prequel, The Academy. This time, Tracy is a 6 year veteran of patrol, taking a young reporter out on a ride along in an attempt to reverse some negative publicity the department received about how it treats its female officers. She is called to a dangerous situation where she has to act on her gut instincts along with her training to keep all parties safe.

Tracy is still a very likable character and this story reads very quickly. The plot and character of Tracy are fully fleshed out and nothing for me lacks in this story that can be read in under 45 minutes. Definitely worth a read!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short story featuring Tracy Crosswhite. I recently read the Crosswhite series and liked the character. The author created ample tension and suspense in just a few pages.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third Watch by Robert Dugoni is a very short taste of The Tracy Crosswhite Series. A mere 47 pages. The second introduction book that lead into the first book of the series – “My Sister's Grave”

“Author Robert Dugoni is the New York Times, #1 Amazon, and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author”

“The police procedural featuring Seattle Homicide Detective Tracy Crosswhite has kept Dugoni in the Amazon top 10 for more than three years and sold more than 4 million copies”

I had not read any of his books before, and this did wet my appetite for the first book in the series, which I will start soon, and look forward to.

[Donne · Rating 3 out of 5]

As 48pg prequel, I still believe that this story and the previous 43pg prequel should have been combined into one prequel instead of two. Even though this one takes place six years after Tracy graduates from the police academy, Dugoni could have created a segue for the two different timeframes. JMHO😊

Anyway, the book summary pretty much lays out the whole storyline. What the summary doesn’t reveal is that this incident is the career making event for Tracy. The final scene is probably going to be the lead in to the next book in the series.

[Mica Santos ⇢ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth reading these prequels.

[Darren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred this to the first novella but not something I'd read again.

[Alex ♈ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Have you ever known anyone who was the victim of a violent crime?"
"It’s like living in a bubble in which all your senses have been dulled. The world loses color; you see things in black and white and shades of gray. Food loses its taste and its smell. You don’t trust other people or their motives. And you begin to question everything about your own life and think you’re not doing enough, that you’re supposed to be doing something more, though you have no idea what that is."

Another good prequel to the 1st book in the series.
It tells a story of Tracy Crosswhite, when she was still a patrol officer working mostly the Third Watch, the late shift.

Brilliant handling of a hostage situation, which finally brought her near her dream - to become a homicide detective.

4 and not 5, because I didn't quite understand her position in the complains against mistreatment of female officers in the SPD. I think it takes place and many female officers are still harassed and mistreated. Why did she refuse to make a statement, when she as a woman in a men-world was definitely unfairly 'held back'???

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third Watch is the second of two novellas about the early career of Seattle Homicide Detective Tracy Crosswhite. The first, The Academy, introduces her during her training, while this one is set in 2002 when she’s been a patrol officer for 9 years. It’s a 25 minute read - shorter even than it looks as there’s an excerpt from one of the novels at the end, but worth the couple of $ - cheaper and more enjoyable than a cup of coffee!

Tracy is a few hours into her usual night shift when she is called to a volatile hostage situation - a drunk Russian immigrant is holding his wife and young daughters at gunpoint in their apartment. When she attempts to enter he blows the door off with his shotgun. How will Tracy disarm him and save the night?

Tracy is now definitely one of my favourite heroines. Despite the major trauma of her life, losing her younger sister at the age of 22, and the endemic sexism of the police department, she is neither damaged nor bitter, playing her role with dignity and staying out of the politics muddying the workplace waters. She’s no wallflower though, and her encounter with the repugnant Johnny Nolasco at the end brought a big smile to my face.

I’m going to reward myself for catching up with my current ARCs by moving straight on to Book 5 of the main series.

[Negin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a short story, sort of like a prequel to the Tracy Crosswhite series. It was okay, but not amazing or anything. I’m not sure if I will go ahead with the series or not. The older I get, the less I feel like committing to book series, especially the ones that are never-ending, where the author keeps coming out with never-ending new ones.

My favorite quote:

“If today is your worst day, then tomorrow is going to be a little better, right? And the day after that will also be a little better. Each day will get a little better … So right now, all you have to do is get through today. That’s not too hard, right? Just get through today. You can get through today, right?”

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the last six years, Tracy Crosswhite has worked as a patrol officer for the Seattle Police Department. She has been putting in her time, unsuccessfully applying for promotions in her bid to become a homicide detective. Tracy has been assigned freelance journalist Tevia Cushman as a ride along. Tevia is working on a story about sexism in the police department. What starts as a predictable work-night changes drastically when a routine domestic call turns into a tense situation with no police backup.

This is the second novella in the Tracy Crosswhite series. Tracy is smart and confident in her abilities to diffuse a volatile situation. She also knows not to throw the department under the bus by telling all to the reporter that is riding along with her. My rating: 4 Stars.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about Robert Dugoni’s prequel Third Watch: A Tracy Crosswhite Short Story. It’s not that I didn’t like it. In fact, I loved it. It’s just that as a short story, it left me wanting more. That’s a good thing, Mr. Dugoni. Having read the other books in the series as well as the first two novels in the David Sloane series, I was already a fan when I started this brisk, spellbinding read.

Third Watch takes us back to Tracy Crosswhite’s days as a street cop when she chose to work nights because, as she put it, that’s when all the action occurred. Even though the Seattle Police Department had experienced complaints of gender discrimination within the department, I found it a little unusual that a female rookie would be out on patrol alone and have a reporter riding along to observe, but that is the scenario presented in this story. In fact, in The Academy: A Short Story, Tracy herself had been a “victim” of sexual harassment, if one can call it that, because she handled herself with aplomb.

When an ordinary calm shift suddenly turns risky, Officer Crosswhite needs all the instincts and skills she’s honed first as a high school teacher and then as a police academy trainee to face a desperate man with a gun. With no backup readily available, will she need her rapid-fire shooting ability, or will she be able to defuse the situation? Whatever the result, reporter Tevia Kushman is bound to get one heckuva story.

The author packs tons of tension into this brief work. We get to see Tracy Crosswhite almost in slow motion. We read her thoughts. We feel her emotion. We picture her motions. I, for one, liked it all. There were just a few minor details that bothered me. The first is as mentioned above: Are rookies in a large city like Seattle really sent out on patrol alone? The second thing I question is would a big city police department have no one available as backup for a solo officer in a dangerous situation? Yes, there was a legitimate backlog elsewhere, but no one could be spared? No one? That certainly adds to the drama of the incident and makes Tracy’s performance much more heroic. Artistic license? Maybe, but I have to deduct half a star. Considering what a fine story it is, that’s not much of a ding. I highly recommend this short story and the others in the series as well.

4.5 stars

[Sean Peters (A Good Thriller) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great early introduction with Tracy Crosswhite, a short story, with follows The Academy, and nicely explains her career moves to detective.

A great character, nice quick story.

Tracy Crosswhite’s ordinary night patrolling her Seattle beat becomes front page news when she responds to a domestic disturbance call that turns into a hostage crisis.

In this prequel short story to Robert Dugoni’s #1 Kindle-bestselling novel, My Sister’s Grave, Tracy Crosswhite is a young patrol officer, paying her dues, keeping her head down, and hoping a solid record will get her promoted to detective. While years have passed since the disappearance of Tracy’s sister, the experience has made her one of the city’s most dedicated cops.

Reporter Tevia Kushman is shadowing Tracy on a ride-along seeking to follow-up on a recent (and nasty) exposé about the Seattle PD’s treatment of female cops. Young and ambitious, Tevia is hoping for a juicy scoop on the gender politics of the PD, but may get a much bigger story than she bargained for…

Neither woman expects a routine-sounding call to turn into something dangerous, until Tracy walks into a domestic dispute and finds herself looking down the barrel of a shot-gun. No stranger
to high-pressure situations, Tracy must draw on more than just her academy training and lightning-fast shooting skills to find a way to talk down—or take out—the volatile man holding the gun.

Four stars.

[Linda Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short story … less than 50 pages. THIRD WATCH takes us back to when she was a street cop …. Before she became Seattle’s first female detective. This is the prequel to MY SISTER’S GRAVE.

There has been a lot of bad publicity concerning the treatment of female officers, so her supervisor has set her up to be followed by a reporter. Young and ambitious, the reporter is hoping for a huge scoop and she may get a bigger and better story than she had planned.

A routine call lands Tracy in the middle of a domestic dispute. A neighbor reports shots fired and then silence. The couple living there have 2 small daughters.

Tracy requests back-up but it told that there are none available. Fearing for those childrens’ lives, Tracy goes it alone. Reaching the door, she finds herself looking down the barrel of a shotgun.

Tracy must use not only her training, but also her life experience to bring this event to an ending that doesn’t end in death.

For such a short story, the author has packed a punch with all the suspense from the first page to the last. Crosswhite is such a great serial character. For anyone who has read the series, or a part of, you really must read this one. If you haven’t read the series, start here .. and I guarantee you will want to read the others.

5 Stars for the prequel, 5 Stars for the series

[Julie (JuJu) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tracy is moving up!

"Third Watch" is the second prequel to the Tracy Crosswhite series, and it takes place at a much later time than the first prequel. Tracy had always set her sights on becoming a homicide detective, but despite her years of service, she has been passed over for several promotions. In this Novella, we follow her on her third watch, also known as the night shift, which kickstarts her career. If you haven't started reading this series yet, you are missing out on an excellent police series featuring a tough female cop!

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dugoni presents another well-crafted preface to his new Tracy Crosswhite series. After suffering through the guilt of her sister's murder, Tracy Crosswhite used her thirst for justice to apply to the police academy. Passing with flying colours, she is sent to Seattle and works as a beat cop, now six years on the job. After the SPD is roasted for its treatment of female officers, a follow-up piece is slated and Crosswhite is given a journalist for a ride-along. Crosswhite prefers the Third Watch, colloquially-known as the night shift, where they're action and she can hone her skills. Refusing to discuss the gender discrepancies, she answers a call of a domestic disturbance. Crosswhite seeks to diffuse the situation but calls for back-up, which does not arrive. Now Crosswhite must make the ultimate decision as the domestic is turning into a hostage situation and she has a reporter eyeing her every move. Acting as she feels any officer would, Crosswhite seeks to make personal parallels with a man who has his wife and daughter on the other end of a shotgun, though she is unprepared for what happens next and must think on her feet. Trying to take the 'do your best' approach, Crosswhite will not get sullied with the department's politics, even if it can secure her a fast promotion to detective. Dugoni fleshes out more about his new heroine, whose approach is success through hard work, rather than pity.

Robert Dugoni continues to impress with this new character. Tracy Crosswhite is driven by desire and passion, hoping to make a difference every day on the job. in his second brief introductory piece on Crosswhite, Dugoni continues to lay the groundwork for a complex, yet approachable, 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. With a chance to make a difference and push past the glass ceilings apparently in place, Crosswhite will surely be a force with whom many will come into contact over the coming years.

Kudos, Mr. Dugoni for another wonderful short story. I am eager to see what readers can expect from Crosswhite in the years to come.

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

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a humid night in Seattle and Tracy Crosswhite is grateful for the slight breeze coming through the cracked window of her patrol car as well as the Starbucks coffee she has on deck. She's patrolled these streets and alleys for the past six years, gaining a perceptive feel for the area. Because of a gender equality PR storm that has recently hit the department, Crosswhite has a ride along tonight in the shape of a reporter. A reporter that ends up getting a much bigger story than she, or Tracy, had in mind at the beginning of the Third Watch.

I just finished a prior prequel to this story, The Academy: A Short Story, and immediately dived right into Third Watch. An equally short read, this second prequel in the Tracy Crosswhite series fast forwards the reader six years down the line where we catch up with Tracy's career as a Seattle PD patrol officer.

I like that Tracy has retained her self assurance from one book to the next and am still interested in the series. I'm looking forward to reading longer stories now - seeing how Crosswhite in particular is further developed. You get a decent look at her personality in this short story but I don't think it was as nuanced as it was in The Academy or as much as I hope it will be in future books.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Tracy Crosswhite, Robert Dugoni has created a detective who more than carries his amazing series of books. In Third Watch the author has again gone back to her earlier police career in uniform to show how she achieved her ambition.
"She's competent, inquisitive and highly capable. "
"She's the best shooter I've ever seen, Chief."
It is very clear that Dugoni loves writing about her and as a reader he allows you to share in that process.
This is just a short story but it is sufficient to have you returning for more.

[Bridgett · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is just something about Tracy Crosswhite laying into Johnny Nolasco that has me smiling every time. This would have been a 3-star book, except for that final scene, which I loved.

Short, quick, well-written, and entertaining. Worth a read if you're a lover of this series.

[Arathi Chitrapura · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always Tracy Crosswhite rocks!

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful novella in the Tracy Crosswhite series!

[Janice Boychuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great preface to the next and first full-length novel featuring Tracy Crosswhite, the intelligent bad-ass cop. She's putting in her time, in hopes of becoming a detective. She has what it takes, she just needs to break through that glass ceiling, while trying to remain neutral and avoid getting involved in the politics. That includes putting up with the likes of egotistical co-workers like Johnny Nolasco.

It's been over 5 years since Tracy graduated, and she is is out cruising the streets on a night shift - or Third Watch as it's referred to in cop-speak. She walks into a domestic dispute and finds herself looking down the barrel of a shot-gun. Tracy needs to use her training, and guts, to avert a serious and volatile situation.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Combine a smart, strong and compassionate h with compelling storytelling and you get this short.

[Amy J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another prequel to the Tracy Crosswhite series

This novella gives a glimpse into Detective Crosswhite's past before she was a detective on the Seattle police force.

While a reporter is riding along, Tracy is called into action in a hostage situation. Her courage and instinct during this situation help her to gain further respect from her male colleagues.

If you enjoy this series or looking to start with it, I recommend this prequel along with The Academy which pre-dates this novella.

At the time of this review the novella was available in Kindle Unlimited.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
This is the second prequel to the Tracey Crosswhite series and I am already in love with this smart, sassy and savvy heroine.
This story is set during the years that she was a beat cop on patrol.
I really enjoy reading stories where the crimes are solved by intelligent, strong-willed women.
Thank you J D Robb and Patricia Cornwell for your wonderful heroines but what have we here : Robert Dugoni (a male author) that has managed to capture all those great qualities that I adore in a heroine with his female homicide detective Tracey Crosswhite.
I have such high expectations for this series. Based on these two short stories that I have just read, I really have no doubt that this author will be able to deliver.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very short-only around 47 pages-but good. It is a prequel to Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite series. In this book we see an incident from when Tracy is a beat cop. She had been a cop for 6 years, hoping in vain to get promoted to detective but all her applications for detective jobs had been turned down. A local reporter had done a story on the Seattle Police Department's failure to promote female officers to detective which caused stress for Tracy as male officers think she gave info to reporter Maria Van Pelt. Tracy has another female reporter riding with her on the overnight shift-the Third Watch as Tracy calls it- when she gets a domestic violence call. A Russian man has his estranged wife and two little girls as hostages with a shotgun. Most of the force is at a riot downtown so it is up to Tracy to try to handle the situation alone with the man-whose first act is to shoot at her. I was tensed up in a knot while reading this exciting story. I got this from Amazon's Kindle Unlimited.

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story describes the incident that helps move Tracey past the sexism of the Seattle police department and allows her to get her chance as a detective.
It wasn’t a bad story, but not quite as interesting as the previous story The Academy.