The Dime, Kathleen Kent’s first Betty Rhyzyk novel, went from being an interesting if conventional police procedural mystery to something else. If you appreciate the out of nowhere, somewhat bananas turn (as I did), you’d probably be moving on to the second book to see how she dealt with it. If not, you’d likely skip it.
When I read the reviews for it, opinions were mixed and I get it. The twist was perhaps imperfectly handled and may have felt gimmicky. But I thought it made what was otherwise a fine effort infinitely more compelling.
It’s been a while since I read the first one and I still had to talk myself into book two. I’ve just read so many mysteries the last few years and while it’s still my favorite genre, I’ve begun to get bored. Everything is predictable; few books truly stand out. I finally grabbed this one, wondering how Kent would reckon with what she pulled off in the last book.
And it’s really good. I was surprised at how good it was. I liked it more than the first.
Kent focuses less on the twist itself and more on the consequences: how Detective Rhyzyk deals with what happened to her and how it impacts her relationships. It’s a really good exploration of PTSD. It also touches on the dangers of being a cop, especially when someone close to you is not who they claim to be.
Along the way, she uses the twist from the first one as an item of suspense: is the cult involved in this or that? You’ll have to read to find out and you may be disappointed but personally, I thought she handled everything very well.
The third book is supposed to wrap up everything. As the keystone work, I felt it set the table well and am glad Kent is ending this as a trilogy rather than continuing a never ending series.