The Dime

Book excerpt: Brooklyn's toughest female detective takes on Dallas in this "violent, sexy, and completely absorbing" Edgar Award nominee, the first novel in the acclaimed Betty Rhyzyhk series (Kirkus Reviews). Dallas, Texas is not for the faint of heart. Good thing for Betty Rhyzyk she's from a family of take-no-prisoners Brooklyn police detectives. But her Big Apple wisdom will only get her so far when she relocates to The Big D, where Mexican drug cartels and cult leaders, deadbeat skells and society wives all battle for sunbaked turf. Betty is as tough as the best of them, but she's deeply shaken when her first investigation goes sideways. Battling a group of unruly subordinates, a persistent stalker, a formidable criminal organization, and an unsupportive girlfriend, the unbreakable Detective Betty Rhyzyk may be reaching her limit. Combining the colorful pyrotechnics of Breaking Bad with the best of the gritty crime genre, The Dime is Kathleen Kent's brilliant mystery debut and the launch of a sensational new series. "Only a fan blowing in the right direction could flip the pages of this lightning-paced tale any faster." --Minneapolis Star Tribune