The Dime
(Det. Betty #1)
Nominated for The Edgar Award And The Nero Award for Best Crime Fiction
Brooklyn’s toughest female detective takes on Dallas—and neither is ready for the fight. 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.
THE DIME reviewed on NPR’s FRESH AIR with host Terry Gross:
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Reviews
“It shoves (Detective Betty) into one of the most breathless, inventive and, be forewarned, violent suspense plots I’ve read in a long while.”
— Terry Gross, NPR Fresh Air
“Exciting and moving. . .
Grisly but likeable.”
— Wall Street Journal
“This fast-paced, adrenaline-producing suspense novel will appeal to Karin Slaughter fans. . .A gritty series debut.”
— Library Journal
“Terrific. . .Kent’s ability to avoid predictable outcomes and keep the reader on edge bodes well for future installments in this series.”
— Lloyd Sachs, Chicago Tribune
“Only a fan blowing in the right direction could flip the pages of this lightning-paced tale any faster. It may be her crime fiction debut, but Kathleen Kent writes with the hard-boiled confidence of a veteran. . .Betty is buff, brave, and believable. She is a terrific, fully realized addition to her genre.”
— Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“Violent, sexy, and completely absorbing, Kent’s detective is Sam Spade reincarnated—as a brilliant, modern woman.”