Runner by Tracy Clark
Series Name: Chicago #4
Genre: Private Investigator Mystery
Release: June 29, 2021
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Former homicide cop turned private investigator Cass Raines gets the job done in this page-turning Chicago-set novel from award-winning author Tracy Clark. For mystery/suspense fans as well as fans of Laura Lippman.

Chicago in the dead of winter can be brutal, especially when you’re scouring the frigid streets for a missing girl. Fifteen-year-old Ramona Titus has run away from her foster home. Her biological mother, Leesa Evans, is a recovering addict who admits she failed Ramona often in the past. But now she’s clean. And she’s determined to make up for her mistakes—if Cass can only help her find her daughter.

Cass visits Ramona’s foster mother, Deloris Poole, who is also desperate to bring the girl home. Ramona came to Deloris six months ago, angry and distrustful, but was slowly opening up. The police are on the search, but Cass has sources closer to the streets, and a network of savvy allies. Yet it seems Ramona doesn’t want to be found. And Cass soon begins to understand why.

Ramona is holding secrets dark enough to kill for, and anyone who helps her may be fair game. And if Ramona can’t run fast enough and hide well enough to keep the truth safe, she and Cass may both be out of time.

Dru’s Short Musing:
What happens when you have a kick-ass private detective and a missing teen? You get a grippingly riveting intensifying tale that takes no prisoners. In this hard-edge drama, I was immediately immersed in this multi-plot mystery, quickly becoming a page-turner as I had to know how the outcome.

In this fast-paced and well-written story, the author set the tone of this suspenseful and intriguing tale with visually descriptive narrative and engaging dialogue that put me in the middle of all the action, standing tall with Cass Raines. With a savvy sidekick and her own gumption, Cass is on the trail and the author takes us step by step in the search with a few surprises thrown in to keep us in the game. The author knows how to deliver an excellent foray into societal woes and dysfunctional families and the drama that entails. This is a solid addition to a terrific series and the best one yet, and I look forward to more adventures with Cass and her friends.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.