THE DIME

This entry in contemporary crime fiction by a historical novelist may remind listeners of the Sara Paretsky series: good writing, sexual polemics, clear adversaries. Brooklyn cop Betty Rhyzyk and her girlfriend relocate to Dallas, Texas, where Betty battles with culture shock and a series of complex cases. Narrator Cynthia Farrell is an asset, handling the Texas accents well, particularly that of a hyper-religious, grandma-like cult leader. Farrell enunciates the latter trait in this character--making her tone one of tolerant, sweet reason as she actually dispenses a mix of doctrinal idiocies and scary maternal advice. Both Kent and Farrell make it clear that the Betty is a strong, complex--and sometimes implacable--woman. In her situation, she has to so be. D.R.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2017]