3.5 Stars 🌟

Another first time "new to me" author. I was actually awarded the audio version as an ARC and the narrator - Lauryn Allman -was also a first time narrator for me. With that being said, the narration was fine.

This book introduces the reader to Beth Katz, who is an FBI agent with an interesting background. She is the daughter of a srial killer herself. Her father is still alive, but in prison somewhere. Somewhere that she says she is unknown to her. I wanted to like this book a lot more than I actually did.

There is some really good bones to this book - and the upcoming series. There is the beginnings of a solid structure with some pretty interesting characters. Without going into spoilers, let's just say the Agent Katz is not your run of the mill FBI agent. She believes she has a 'darkness" inside of her that when she thinks about it, she describes it as almost being alive and that it can literally take her over at times. The way she keeps this darkness at bay is to "feed it" by administering her own brand of justice. Basically, she's a closet vigilante (that much is in the book summary, so it is not a spoiler).

Where I began to have problems was with the description of Beth herself. To me, she felt kind of over-written. I mean, she's an extremely tough agent who doesn't take anything from anyone, reacting physically whenever she feels slighted, without worrying about consequences (even up against a stronger, heavier opponent). She takes enormous risks with her brand of justice and it is mind boggling that she has gotten away with what she is doing for as long as she has. Especially since what she does leaves behind a calling card.

She meets her new partner after being reassigned to the middle of nowhere Rattlesnake Creek. He has his own story that we really haven't been told, but I'm thinking it is also going to be a doozy. There is potential with this duo. I liked their dynamic, but of course, it does start a bit rocky.

Then there is the whole incident that occurs in California. There is believable, and then there is "throw out any semblance of reality and let's just roll with it". I think that incident fell into the latter category. There is absolutely no way in the world I can imagine that going down the way it did, I mean, these two just met each other the day before or something like that. Honestly, that is probably the least of the issues in that scenario.

Anyway, she falls into a serial killer situation in Rattlesnake Creek and that part of the story was actually interesting. There are some pretty interesting characters that I think are going to get even more interesting as they are more fleshed out in the subsequent books.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

i literally binged this in maybe a day. it hooked me in and wouldn’t let go! i wanted to know who the killer was while also curious as to wether or not beth would be found out. the pacing was perfect and i didn’t see the reveal coming AT ALL! i liked beth point of vue, to me, she’s the definition of morally gray, doing bad stuff for a good cause (i suppose you can put it that way). her relationship with styles was kinda fascinating and i liked seeing the way they worked. i’ll definitely be picking up other books from this author! 4.5⭐️

Darkish FBI crime thriller, with a driven female agent main character. Start of a series, but this is a stand alone. The story comes from an interesting angle. But I won’t tell you more, have a listen for yourself. Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Dark Angel (Detective Beth Katz Book 1)
By D.K. Hood
Audiobook Narrated by Lauryn Allman
Pub Date: 12 Sep 2023
Bookouture / Bookouture Audio
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Rating: 5/5

D.K. Hood's Dark Angel is book one in the Beth Katz series. This plot is an engrossing and compulsively readable FBI agent crime thriller, earning it a perfect 5/5 rating from me.

It follows FBI agent Beth Katz as she navigates a complex case with intense suspense and unexpected twists. One wrong move could mean disaster - making it a heart-stopping journey as each decision leads to thrilling consequences.

Beth Katz, a special agent with the FBI, is the daughter of a serial killer. As a vigilante, she hunts down criminals who commit brutal murders and kills those she feels deserve to die. In Rattlesnake Creek, Beth and Dax Styles are called to investigate the discovery of a young girl's dead body in the woods. The murdered girl, Brooklyn, was last seen with her friend Skylar one week ago, but where is Skylar? The scene reminds Beth of an another unsolved case in which two young girls were abducted, but only one body was recovered. As Beth and Dax dive deeper into the investigation, they realize that this is much more than a simple murder case - it is an exploration of a pedophile's mind, and a search for a killer who will finally be held accountable for their crime.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Bookouture Audio for sharing this book and audiobook with me. The book and audiobook were so riveting that I read and listened to them in one sitting. The book/audiobook is one of the most outstanding crime thrillers I have encountered in a long time. This is an absolute must for crime and thriller fans!

This book was pretty good! I liked the premise of a revenge killer. I would recommend this book to anyone who liked dexter. Overall a 3.5 for me because it wasn’t really my cup of tea.

Ok… I was not at all expecting this to be as good as it was.. ITS A FREAKING FEMALE DEXTER WHO WORKS WITH THE FBI. I LOVE HER. I love her partner, Styles… I love that hes a rugged mountain man with a bit of a vigilante streak… I love how Beth went off the rails a bit and while her partner found it irritating at times, he came to respect and appreciate that part of her.

The one thing I didnt like was that when I came to the end of the book I realized that it was the first in the series and i had to freaking wait to read the second one when it came out. I think I’ve found another one-click author for me.

This book has everything. Murder mystery, creepy villains, an awesome Medical Examiner, a dog that goes on the hunt with the two FBI agents.. and the duo of Beth and Styles taking down bad guys! I LOVED Beth.. she was just… so amazing. She was intimately aware of her “dark side” and didnt let that inhibit her. She decided to turn herself into somewhat of a vigilante serial killer who only went after the bad guys (in an attempt to keep her “dark side” that craved violence and killing and death appeased). She was aware of her shortcomings and didnt come off like a mary-sue at all which made me like her even more.

I wasnt sure how I’d feel about her newly assigned pairing in the FBI… but I LOVED HIM. I think he genuinely likes Beth and as I said, while he finds some her her brash and unconventional behavior a bit out of the ordinary, he also understands her. He’s a bit of a vigilante himself, more akin to bend the rules than to all out break them, but he doesnt hold Beth back when it comes to her sense of justice. He’s just the right about of light to her darkness and omg I can’t WAIT to see what happens to these two in the future!

I loved the setting, I loved the story, I loved the characters, and I am SO FREAKING HERE for this entire series! Its been a MINUTE since I read something that got me excited like this and I can confidentially say that I will be reading this series for as long as the author continues to write it!

This one rang a bell and I realised I have read a later (second?) one in the series. I like the concept. The protagonist is a serial killer, daughter of a serial killer, but her kills are all evil people; child rapists and murderers who have escape justice. Good pacy story. Worth a read

DK Hoods Black Rock Falls series is one of my favourite police procedural series out there right now. So when ai hear she was writing a spin off series with FBI agent Beth Katz, I was intrigued. Dark Angel is the first book with Beth in the lead and what a cracker of a book it is.

Beth is the daughter of a serial killer, and a vigilante FBI agent who wants real justice for the victims. She works very hard to keep her dark side hidden, but now she has been sent to Rattlesnake Creel and must work with a partner. This is going to be tricky.

Beth is a badass and does not hold back what she is thinking. She also does like to stay within the law in her quest to stop the serial killers.

I loved the narration for this book, it was lot on and gave the perfect voice to Beth. I look forward to listening to book 2 and learning more about her dark heart.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced copy of both the kindle and audiobook book to read. Publishes on September 12th

Dark Angel is a well written, gripping, fast paced, first book in a new series by D. K. Hood! I listened to the audiobook, and it was fantastic! I kept finding time to listen as I was fully invested in the plot, the characters, and the suspense!

Special Agent Beth Katz of the FBI happens to be the daughter of a serial killer. She also happens to be a vigilante who hunts down killers and has no problem killing those she feels deserve to die!

A young girl's body was found in the woods outside of the town of Rattlesnake Creek. Beth and her partner Dax Styles are on the case. Brooklyn, the dead young girl, was last seen with her friend a week ago. Seeing the scene, Beth is reminded of a cold case where two girls were taken but only one dead body is found.

Beth is determined to solve this case and catch the killer no matter what! I enjoyed both Beth and Dax, their interactions, and how they worked together even when Dax wasn't happy with Beth's actions. They are a fantastic and interesting team and I look forward to reading more about them in future books.

This was a riveting page turner! Dark Angel is well thought out and perfectly paced. This book kept me on my toes, wanting more, and doing my best to find time to keep listening, fully invested in this gripping book. I tried my best to figure out the identity of the killer but was unsuccessful.

Gripping, shocking and hard to put down! I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

I really enjoyed my first D.K. Hood book, great way to start a series! This book grabbed me from the beginning and just kept pulling you in. Lots of action and twists and turns.

FBI Agent Beth Katz loves her job chasing down serial killers but she's keeping a huge secret from her employers. After stopping a pedophile in the process of abducting a child Katz is reassigned to Rattlesnake Creek - a remote area of Montana. There she is partnered with Agent Dax Styles - a former MP in the military. When two young girls are reported missing they realize that a serial offender called the Pied Piper is in the area. Katz struggles to hide her true self when working closely Styles as they hunt down the killer.
Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and D K Hood for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you Bookouture, NetGalley, author D. K. Hood, and narrator Lauryn Allman for a fantastic new series: Detective Beth Katz book 1 Dark Angel. Finally someone has taken on the challenge of creating a character who is not only a part of law enforcement, in this case the FBI. Our heroine is also a serial killer with a unique moral code. In many ways she reminds me of a female Dexter but so much more appealing and I can’t wait for the next book in this series to come out so I can know what Beth and company will do next.

Beth Katz is obsessed with finding serial killers. This may seem helpful for an FBI agent, but Beth is also a vigilante psychopath who manages her “dark side” by killing killers rather than arresting them. She’s successfully hidden this from her colleagues, but finds herself assigned to the mining town of Rattlesnake Creek under Dax Styles, an agent with a reputation of being a maverick. When the body of a young girl is discovered and her friend is still missing, Beth and Dax are on the case. Can she keep her secrets and find the killer?

To enjoy this novel a reader needs to accept vigilante justice and overlook some FBI procedural issues. The relationship dynamic between Beth and Dax is interesting, secondary characters like Ryder are engaging, and the search for the killer is high action. Narrator Allman’s accents, pacing and intensity enhance the story. Trigger warning: pedophilia.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an audio ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

At first glance, it would appear that Beth Katz has nothing in common with her serial killer father. She’s become an FBI agent to make sure justice is served, one way or another. When she and her partner, Dax catch a case that leaves Beth sure they’re tailing a particularly cruel and despicable serial killer, she’s determined to stop him. The question is whether she’ll do it via legal means or if there’s more of her father in her than she’d like to believe

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio ARC. If you like Dexter, this is a book for you. A serial killer that is an FBI agent and only kills the bad guys. Consider me sold! This book did not disappointment and left me wanting more.

Add this to your never ending TBR now.

Dark Angel (Detective Beth Katz Book 1) by D.K. Hood
Narrated by Lauryn Allman
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers
Expected Publication Date: September 12, 2023

Dark Angel is the first book in the new Detective Beth Katz series by D.K. Hood and I absolutely loved it! There was so much to love about this book...the characters, the storyline, the crime solving, the character backstories, just everything!

This is one of those books that I just devoured. I read it all in one day because I was so invested. I needed to know how things were going to work out.

I found Beth to be absolutely captivating! What an amazing angle to bring to the FBI world! I can't wait to see what's to come. I need the next book to be published! I wasn't ready for this one to be over!

The narration by Lauryn Allman was fantastic! I really enjoyed how she brought the book to life!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.