4.5 stars. This book left me with a massive book hangover. Incredibly violent in almost every way, so just a content heads up if you’re thinking about reading this. If you like mysteries and you haven’t given this one a chance, I would snag it as soon as you can.
Betty Rhyzyk is tough as fucking nails, not surprising since she comes from a long line of Brooklyn police detectives. She never thought she’d leave New York, but finds herself in Dallas with her partner who hails from Texas, complete with stereotypical prejudiced family members and all. As a tall Polish redheaded lesbian from Brooklyn, she definitely stands out in Dallas and it takes her a while to get her bearings, both in her personal and professional lives. (I believe this book takes place before gay marriage was legalized, so while there’d be prejudice now, there was definitely much more even a decade ago.)
She’s been working with her team to investigate some illegal drug sales, but that investigation quickly goes off the rails as the body count starts rising. Somehow her involvement in the case puts her on the radar of some very creepy people who may or may not be stalking her and possibly involved with the cartels. To say Rhyzyk is freaked out and pissed off is an understatement.
I loved these characters so much and I can’t wait until the next in the series (which might be this year?). Kent managed to keep me guessing and I kept having to pause the audiobook at work because it was so tense and distracting that I wasn’t getting work done.
