The Dime by Kathleen Kent

Betty Rhyzyk is a transplanted Brooklyn cop now in the narcotics division of the Dallas Police Department. A routine stakeout of a known drug distributor’s house becomes a murderous bloodbath when a Mexican drug lord drives by and sees his distributor talking with a policeman and a neighborhood do-gooder who reported his dog locked in his car in the Dallas heat. Three dead and one wounded does not make for a successful stakeout.

With the drug investigation now becoming a murder investigation, the lines of authority are blurring. One thing is apparent, though, Betty is being targeted by someone.

The Dime by Kathleen Kent moves along pretty swiftly. Betty, a tall, striking redheaded lesbian among her mostly conservative male police coworkers, has it tough. Being of Polish descent and being from Brooklyn, NY don’t make it any easier. Kent has created an interesting ensemble cast, including Betty’s deceased Uncle Benny, a cop who constantly whispers in her ear when the going gets tough.

However, Kent enters the universe of the unbelievable when a story of a murderous Mexican drug cartel morphs into evangelical Christianity and Civil War reenactments. So, what starts out as an action packed, interesting but somewhat routine mystery veers off the road. There is action throughout the book, which makes for fast reading.

I’m sure there will be more Betty Rhyzyk books and I’ll certainly give the second one a read through. But hopefully Kent will stay on track with that one.