In the dark pine forest surrounding the quiet town of Rattlesnake Creek, the body of a young girl lies on the ground. Her angelic blonde hair spills over her shoulders and her unblinking eyes stare up toward the sky... I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: Dark Angel
Author(s): D.K. Hood
Series: Special Agent Beth Katz #1
Published by Bookouture on September 12, 2023
Pages: 361
Genre(s): Mystery
Source: Publisher
Format: eArc 
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Reading Challenges: 2023 Netgalley and Edelweiss, 2023- Coyer
Rating: 
Series Rating:
It was Beth Katz's serial killer father who made her like she is: a successful FBI agent and an unstoppable vigilante dedicated to hunting down murderers who have evaded capture. Beth will push herself to the limits to deliver justice. Even if it means killing those who deserve to die.
When the body of missing schoolgirl Brooklyn Daniels is discovered in a secluded patch of woodland on the outskirts of town, Beth and her partner Dax Styles race to the scene. Brooklyn and her best friend left home to pick wildflowers a week ago and vanished without trace.
Taking in Brooklyn's body carefully laid on a blanket and the dress neatly folded next to her, Beth suddenly freezes. She's seen this before: in the files of a cold case. The perpetrator takes two girls-one vanishes, the other is killed and left with her clothes beside her. Now Beth knows she has a twisted serial killer on her hands, she'll stop at nothing to catch him. Even if it means going against Dax's orders...
Desperate to find the other missing girl, Beth's heart pounds as she puts herself up as bait and walks into the secluded forest, knowing evil is lurking nearby. With Dax watching her every move, Beth prays the gamble pays off. Can she outsmart the murderer, or did she just walk into a trap? And when Beth finally comes face to face with the killer, will she hand him over or serve justice of her very own?
Dark Angel delivered a riveting tale about FBI agent Beth Katz. Beth is not your typical FBI agent. The daughter of a serial killer, who works closely with investigations of notorious killers. She makes use of the dark web to aid in her hunt for these killers, who she plans to take down by any means necessary.
The story begins with Beth taking down a predator, and from that moment the reader learns that she is the infamous “Tarot Killer” who is always one step ahead of law enforcement. Now after this successful take down, her superiors, thinking she lacked empathy, ordered her to take a psych test. Failure of the test led to her reassignment to Rattlesnake Creek, a small mining town. While there, she will be working with Senior Special Agent Dax Styles, a former ex army military police.
As expected, Beth wasn’t keen on her re-assignment. She felt it would hamper her in meting out justice, However, on her arrival to Rattlesnake Creek she got caught up in a case involving a paedophile which law enforcement dubbed the Pied Piper. Beth is determined to catch the killer by any means necessary. Her unconventional methods and her penchant for taking risky steps amazed Dax. Although he sometimes breaks the rules while conducting investigations, he never crosses the line the way Beth does. Despite not agreeing with, most of her methods, they worked together like a well oiled machine.
Dark Angel is indeed a page turning read, which featured interesting characters and well paced plot. Prepare for a suspenseful journey and a one sitting read. The villain’s end was quite fitting. I couldn’t have planned it any better.
Overall, Dark Angel is a great start to the series. I look forward to more from this team and can’t wait to see if Beth’s dark side will lose control.
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In a dark cabin, a young woman sits totally still. Long dark hair hangs over her shoulders and heavy makeup adorns her pale face. Cherry red lips offer a hint of a smile, but she won’t ever smile again. Her body is already cold to the touch… I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: Shadow Angel
Author(s): D.K. Hood
Series: Special Agent Beth Katz #2
Published by Bookouture on September 12, 2023
Pages: 319
Genre(s): Mystery
Source: Publisher
Format: eArc
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Reading Challenges: 2023 Netgalley and Edelweiss, 2023- Coyer
Rating: 
Series Rating:
When black crows are spotted circling over an abandoned cabin in the woods near Rattlesnake Creek, FBI agent Beth Katz and her maverick partner Dax Styles fear something is very wrong. Beth has been hunting serial killers for years, and as she races to the forest she vows to serve her own form of justice, whatever the cost…
Cassie Durham’s friends reported her missing when she didn’t return home from a local bar a few days ago. Now, Cassie sits in darkness, her last breath taken days before. Beth notices the rouged cheeks and bright blue eyeshadow are nothing like the pictures she’s seen of Cassie alive. Did someone add the heavy makeup and pose her like this after death?
When another woman vanishes from a night out, Beth is convinced a twisted killer is in town. A clue on the dark web leads her to a local late-night hangout. Going undercover, she learns that when both girls vanished they were being watched by someone at the back of the crowded room.
Noticing a man following her every move, Beth knows she has one chance to capture him. With a knife in her pocket and hellbent on saving another innocent life, Beth is already sure she’s going to be the killer tonight. Otherwise she will become his next victim…
Shadow Angel, book two in the Special Agent Beth Katz series, takes readers on another journey in a world of serial killers. This time around, Beth and Dax faces the task of stopping a killer who targets exotic dancers.
After my experience with Dark Angel, I went into Shadow Angel expecting a thrilling read, and it did not disappoint. From start to finish, the story kept me on the edge of my seat with its fascinating plot, shocking twists and interesting characters.
This instalment provided additional details about Beth, which aids readers in understanding what drove in becoming the person she is now. Despite the illegality of her actions, one cannot help but get behind what she’e doing. Her ability to blend into a specific scenario made her a great agent. This ability also helped her to maintain her vigilante persona without her colleagues being the wiser. The way she is able to blend into both worlds amazes me. As the Tarot killer, she works to find her next victim, while working with Dax to stop the villain behind the killing of exotic dancers.
Dax and Beth’s interactions have become more mellow. It was fun seeing them joking and sharing some aspects of their past with each other.
The mystery unfolded well. The tension, action and danger made for a compelling, page turning read. Like the previous book, prepare for a one sitting read. One will find it difficult to put this book down. With tension high from the start, Shadow Angel is as good or even better than Dark Angel. Now I am eager to discover Beth’s next victim and if she can continue straddling the world of FBI and killer without getting caught.
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About D.K. Hood
D.K Hood is THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY, and #1 AMAZON MILLION COPY Bestselling Author. D.K’s spine chilling, fast paced serial killer thrillers revolve around Sheriff Jenna Alton and her ex- special forces Deputy, Dave Kane. As the main characters fight crime, their secret pasts are never far away. Set in and around the fictional backwoods town of Black Rock Falls, Montana, known locally as Serial Killer Central, D.K ‘s imagery takes the reader into the scenes with her. Given the title “Queen of Suspense” by her reviewers, D.K ‘s writing style offers her readers a movie style, sizzling fast thrill ride.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
I really want to read these when I can manage it.
I know. The heart is willing, but the reading list is huge.😊
Great reviews, Nadene. I love it when the books get better as the series goes on. These two are on my TBR.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
oh these sound good Nadene thanks
wow what a premise
I believe you would enjoy them. Yes the premise led to me starting the series.
These sound good. I love a good serial killer story.
Then you will definitely love this series.
I’m sure being the daughter of a serial killer gives her special motivation to catch criminals. I love the sound of this series! I’ll look it up. 🙂
Special motivation indeed.😲
These both sound like great books! I will have to keep them in mind.