A Dead Draw by Robert DugoniMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Robert Dugoni’s latest Tracy Crosswhite story wouldn’t be out of place on Rizzoli & Isles, as it’s highly reminiscent of Rizzoli facing off against her age old nemesis the Surgeon and his Apprentice. Except this time, it’s largely the Apprentice analogue, Erik Schmidt, getting out of prison on a technicality, allowing him to pose a serious threat to Tracy’s family and her old hometown of Cedar Grove. Especially a singular young woman named Lydia, who is autistic, but no less gutsy for it. It’s not the first time Dugoni has written an autistic character in the Tracy Crosswhite series, but this time I’d say he did a better job. Though Lydia’s “infomercial” stimming walks the fine line of stereotype, in his notes at the end, Dugoni acknowledges that he’s spoken to autistic people who appreciated his depiction of the spectrum, and how he feels a certain commonality with our community due to his own disability as a stroke survivor. It’s too bad I moved out of Vancouver, because I know he’s scheduled to visit as a guest of the local library this weekend, and I could’ve told him my thoughts in person too.
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