John Sandford has continued his Lettie Davenport series with this engrossing thriller. With her skills as a sharpshooter and the things she learned from her adopted father, Lettie and some of her female cohorts are able to find and take down a group of hackers known as Ordinary People. In his usual style, Sandford infuses his novel with well researched information into the ins and outs of whomever his characters are seeking, in this case computer hackers. Entertaining, with the usual twists and turns this is a great summer read.

I’m a huge fan of John Sandford. His books have given me hours of reading entertainment. With that said, Dark Angel is no exception. Lucas Davenport has been the featured player in the other Sandford novels and his adopted daughter, Letty, has made several recent appearances. But now, she has a series of her own, and Dark Angel is the second book, preceded by The Investigator.

Letty is a wise-cracking knockoff of her dad, and she’s also resourceful, smart, and persistent – just like Lucas. And, now she’s going undercover in an attempt to infiltrate a hacker group with the seemingly innocent name “Ordinary People”.

Dark Angel is fast-paced and, at times, somewhat violent. But for readers who enjoy a tightly woven story with appealing, smart characters, snappy dialogue, and sharp humor, this book will be appealing. Moreover, it’s fast paced and it never slows down. Letty is a compelling and intriguing character who is still in development and it’s fun to go along for the ride as she finds her own rhythm. Dark Angel is just one more stand-out for John Stanford. It’s a great read. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

Letty Davenport goes undercover. I was totally expecting Dad, Lucas Davenport to show up somewhere but I guess Letty is grown up now and can handle things on her own, including another undercover operative in male form.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced reader copy of this second Letty Davenport book. I didn't think Letty could have a more amped-up adventure than THE INVESTIGATOR, but this one certainly had as much action if not more than her debut independent outing.

The combination of Letty with Barb Cartwright is just as good a pairing as Lucas and Virgil, if not better because they're women and thus underestimated..but only by men with inferior intelligence. Here Letty is paired up with the oafish Paul, a reluctant NSA operative, to find a group of hackers known as Ordinary People, under the guise that the NSA thinks they're about to take down a utility grid when in reality the NSA wants them for a much bigger assignment. But, the Russians are also after Ordinary People and they'rekilling everyone in their path.

Letty, Paul and Barb have to be on their toes if they want to stay one step ahead of the Russians. Not sure anyone does pacing as good as John Sandford, he truly is the master at keeping me reading past my bedtime.

I went into this having zero idea it was the second book in a series. With that said though, I don' t think not having read the first book changed my opinion on the book at all. It was a good, solid thriller. The only draw back was that it was rather slow at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I appreciate this character more with every book, she's remarkably like her adopted father and it seems like I've been reading his storyline forever. This novel introduced us to a group of female gunfighters, a bunch of Ladies who will be a source of inspiration and assistance for Letty. The story begins with Letty being assigned an undercover assignment posing as the girlfriend of a hacker searching Los Angeles for a group of hackers preparing to disrupt natural gas service in the cold winter. Naturally, Letty pushes her way into the midst of this circle while discovering something more viscous and deadly. It's nice to see a character learning as she goes, with a talent for finding trouble and not being afraid to stir the pot. These books are well written, which we've come to expect from this author, and full of action and adventure for our young protagonist. I enjoy these just as much as I enjoy the Lucas Davenport novels, and hopefully we'll be reading these for just as long. It's nice to see an author get better over the many years and numerous titles. These are a pleasure to read and extremely easily read as well. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what new kinds of trouble Letty will find herself in and how she'll use her grit and determination to make it through.

In This book with Letty Davenport she along with her hacker Baxter are to go to California and infiltrate a group that is wanting to inflict damage to or spyware on the U.S. system. While working through everything they realize that this is bigger than what they were told by the NSA and is actually more detailed as well. There is also an underlying story going through this story and though both stories work and the characters are good there were times that this book just felt a little off or slow from the first story about about Letty. Still a good read.

In DARK ANGEL, the second installment of John Sandford's Letty Davenport series, we witness the growth and development of Letty's character. Although not yet as compelling a character as Lucas Davenport, Letty's journey is undeniably captivating.
The National Security Agency (NSA) enlists Letty for an undercover mission to track down a formidable group of hackers known as "Ordinary People." With their sights set on disrupting natural gas distribution systems, the hackers pose a grave threat. The NSA pairs Letty with computer specialist, Baxter, and their mission is to infiltrate the hacker cell and thwart the potential ransomware attack. Though Letty suspects the NSA is withholding crucial information, she accepts the assignment at the urging of Senator Christopher Colles, her de facto boss.
As the operation unfolds, Letty and Baxter quickly realize that the NSA's motives are far more intricate than initially disclosed. Their pursuit of computer hackers quickly escalates into a deadly encounter with a more dangerous and elusive adversary. It becomes evident that Letty and Baxter's actual mission diverges significantly from their initial understanding.
Letty emerges as a strong and compelling character in this installment. Her resemblance to her father, despite being adopted, adds depth to her persona. And DARK ANGEL showcases the evolution of Letty Davenport, making her more relatable and intriguing.
Thanks to the Penguin Group/Putnam and Net Galley for a digital copy of the book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dark Angel
By: John Sandford
Pub Date:4/11/23
Publisher: Penguin Group Putnam

This is book 2 in Letty Davenport’s series. She is the adoptive daughter of Lucas Davenport from Sandford original Prey series.
Letty had a rough childhood before she found her way to Lucas. However with his support she has overcome so much. This time she’s brought in to go undercover with Rod Baxter, a nervous computer programmer to become part of a hacker group the Ordinary People and find out their plans.
Unfortunately by the time they get to California and make contact there are already people searching for the group and the temperature gets turned up fast. Thankfully Letty has friends she can call for help.
Sandford never lets you down, his books are always well researched and smoothly told. I can’t wait for Letty’s next adventure but it’s Lucas’s turn this fall with #33 Judgment Prey.
Thanks to John Sandford, NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam G.P. Putnam’s sons for the advance copy.

Petty is quite the character and I enjoyed her in this one and the previous book. A fun snarky investigator series. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

John Sandford returns with Dark Angel, a spinoff series featuring Letty Davenport, daughter of series regular Lucas Davenport. Letty continues to make her own way in the high stakes of shadow government alphabet agency and congressional influence. This time stepping into the murky world of cyber crime and early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Fans of Sandford and the Davenports will enjoy the latest addition featuring the female gunslinger.

I like the character of Lettie Davenport better that Lucas, maybe because I am female? Anyway, Lettie is much better developed in this second novel. Lots of guns, Russians, NSA, new characters and computer geeks. Fast pace action here. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Dark Angel - John Sanford

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this wonderful eARC.

Let me begin this review with some history of Sanford's epic series (and related character offspring).

I have been a huge John Sanford fan after reading his novel in 1989, "Rules of Prey" which is the first in the "Prey" series of police procedurals.

In this series, Sanford introduced us to the clever, classic cop hero Lucas Davenport, who continued as the major crime-solving character in Sanford's "Prey" offerings.

Along the way, Virgil Flowers, who works for the (BCA) Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, ocassionally appeared in Sanford's series, assisting Lucas Davenport in his investigations.

Virgil Flowers is a colorful and welcome character in his own right, and in 2007, with the release of "Dark Moon", Sanford gave Virgil Flowers his own (well-deserved) series.

This novel, Dark Angel is only the second Letty Davenport offering, the first The Investigator, was released in 2022, and I am unsure if Sandford viewed that novel as the start to another Lucas spin-off series, or as a "one-off" initially.

"The Investigator" quickly became my new favorite, and it breathed new life into Sandford's Lucas and Virgil offerings. I was thrilled when Sandford introduced us to Letty Davenport, in her own realm (we were initially introduced to her in the Prey series, before she chose the white hat of a crime-fighter). Letty is the
adopted daughter of Lucas Davenport and "The Investigator" documented Letty's first crime-solving role.

By the way, as MUCH as I enjoy the "Letty" novels, admittedly you cannot beat the earlier "Prey" novels, for top-notch police procedurals...

At any rate, in this novel, "Dark Angel" Letty returns (and in her own "Letty" way) to kick butt and to take prisoners, she is, as always, smart,
refreshingly bold, fierce and fiery, and she lets nothing stand in her way when she is apprehending evil-doers..

In Dark Angel, Letty successfully carries on John Sandford's legendary list of crime-fighters, as she goes undercover to "hack the hackers" so to speak (read the BOOK, I am not here to spoonfeed ya).

Until next time, keep your powder dry, you never know when you will need it. ;)

I liked this one, as well as the first one, and I think they have lots of potential, but to me they aren't quite there yet. I remember thinking this after the first few Prey novels as well. I will keep reading and watch Lettie and her secondary characters grow!

I've read several books by John Sanford and have always found them to be fast paced, interesting and hard to put down. This one was no different. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

John Sandford is funny. Oh, he's perfected a winning formula for his absorbing thrillers. The pace never lets up on the action and suspense, but there are always telling insights into his vivid characters and their motivations. And there's a kind of lighthearted camaraderie in the Lucas Davenport Prey series and the spinoff series featuring Davenport's sidekick Virgil Flowers.

I love the character of Letty Davenport. She's Lucas's adopted daughter, who suffered serious trauma in her early years -- and that (plus her dad's tutelage?) has turned her into a seriously formidable woman. We've got the Millennial version of Lucas, with a slightly different but equally impressive skill set.

Letty, who works for the Department of Homeland Security, may be a bona fide badass, but she's not so much a smartass as her dad, not to mention Virgil Flowers. Still, Sandford's mastery is evident in Dark Angel -- in the plot, the characters, the pace and the deep empathy for the America that lives in the so-called flyover states.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advance readers copy.

This one became so predictable, and even silly by the end of that I was deeply disappointed. I love Letty Davenport, and I have been hoping to see more of her for a long time, but she made a lot of boneheaded decisions, including getting high on the job here. And although there was definitely tension in the story and a few amusing side characters, and moments, the simple fact was the whole third act was completely predictable. And so was a portion of the second act so I didn’t find this to be Sandford at his best. Which is too bad because Sandford at his best is really great writing. But this just wasn’t that. For fans and completist only.

Dark Angel by John Sandford is his second Letty thriller, it exceeds his standards by staggering measures! Any bad guys lurking about? Oh, my goodness sakes...YES! . Lucas Davenport's
daughter is undercover, attempting to locate a specific group of hackers (Ordinary People) . who've taken credit for messing up Russia's train systems. Violence bothers you? Wrong book! There's plenty as Letty demonstrates her proficiency frequently and as needed, which is often. Letty needs to infiltrate Ordinary People, so she can upset the Russian train systems again, to delay soldiers, weaponry, and other wartime supplies destined for implementing war with the Ukraine sovereign state! Yes, Mr. Sanford's plotting plus his dialog is excellent as is this twisty story!
I highly recommend this outstanding Letty Davenport thriller.

John Sandford’s second Letty Davenport novel, Dark Angel, is a bit messy and confusing at times, but ultimately an entertaining ride,

Synopsis: In her capacity as an agent of the Department of Homeland Security, Letty is dispatched to California to investigate the operations of a rogue hacker collective. The book centers around Russia's imminent invasion of Ukraine. As a relatively young agent, Letty is considered perfect for an undercover assignment. Her job is to infiltrate the hackers, find out what they know, what they’ve done, and try to make sure none of it blows back on the US government. So simply stated, and yet this is not easily accomplished.

What I liked: Letty continues to learn from those around her. Whether she’s picking up tips and lessons from John, her partner in The Investigator, or from her hacker partner in Dark Angel, she is improving on the job. I love that she's not afraid to not have a perfect answer or to not immediately know what to do. She is interesting both as an agent and person. Dark Angel has plenty of action, as one might expect from a Sandford novel. The book is also up to date on both political and social issues. I loved Letty’s Peacemaker colleagues and I hope we see Barb Cartwright in future reads.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House (Putnam) for the opportunity to see Letty take on a new adventure. This is one where the ladies take charge - guns, super sized criminal investigations and plausible in today's world.