The Dime
Kathleen Kent
Mulholland Books 2017
352 pages
Although The Dime by Kathleen Kent is the latest novel in a growing collection, it represents her first crime fiction and the beginning of a new series.
Detective Betty Rhyzyk is a driven, tough, and aggressive policewoman. Law enforcement is in her family, and her blood. Being a woman in a predominantly male profession has its challenges. Being a gay woman brings more.
After beginning her career in Brooklyn, she finds herself in Dallas where she and her partner Seth are assigned to surveillance at the home of a violent member of a dangerous organization that is distributing cocaine brought up from Mexico. Drug running is soon complicated by murder. The Dime (Detective Betty Book 1) on Kindle
Between the police work and the action, Kathleen Kent’s The Dime explores Betty’s history, the relationships with her colleagues, as well as her partner Jackie and the struggles with Jackie’s family. Betty is complicated and not easy. She is anything but one dimensional.
Beyond some rather gruesome discoveries, the first chunk of The Dime does not stand out as unique to the genre. When the plot takes a decided twist and Betty is in jeopardy, all hell breaks loose. Much more descriptive and emotive, that is where the real drama, excitement and mystery begin. The Dime becomes a page turner that you must keep reading.
Certain factors near the end that open the door to a sequel.
Although I enjoyed the latter section of The Dime by Kathleen Kent, the beginning was not compelling enough for me to go hunting.