Brooklyn's toughest female detective takes on Dallas in this 'violent, sexy, and completely absorbing' novel (Kirkus), the final book in the acclaimed Betty Rhyzyk series.
Things are looking up for Detective Betty Rhyzyk. She's settled into a happy marriage and been promoted to Sergeant in the Dallas Police Department. But when a hostage stand-off puts her on the phone with legendary cartel leader The Knife, things take a turn. A rival is making a play for the Knife's territory: none other than Evangeline Roy. The matriarch of a ruthless cult, Evangeline also holds a personal vendetta against Betty. So who better to draw Evangeline out of hiding? Betty's got two weeks to catch her. Or else.
With the drug dealers of Dallas donning strange red wigs and delivering cryptic messages, Betty's in a race for answers. As the clock ticks down, it will take everything she's got to finally put an end to Evangeline's reign of terror, and to keep her beloved Dallas – and her own family – safe at last.
Reviewers on The Pledge:
'The terrific adrenaline punch you'd expect for the grand finale of Kathleen Kent's Edgar-nominated trilogy.' Julia Heaberlin
'A thrilling last dance with the formidable Betty Rhyzyk.' Steph Cha
'Detective Betty is one of my favorite queer characters in crime fiction.' Kristen Lepionka
'Satisfying and action-packed.' Publishers Weekly
'Kent isn't afraid to make a turn toward the macabre, and she's been doing this long enough that the words spill from the page with ease. Detective Betty remains one of the most distinctive and vivid crime fighters out there' Texas Monthly.
'One of the most breathless, inventive, and be forewarned, violent suspense plots I've read in a long time' NPR.
'Kent is an effective storyteller and an acute social observer, with a sharp eye for Texas-sized absurdities' Los Angeles Review of Books.
'Exciting [and] moving... Grisly but likeable' Wall Street Journal.
'Terrific... Kent's own ability to avoid predictable outcomes and keep the reader on edge bodes well for future installments in this series' Chicago Tribune
