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MWSA Review
The dynamic duo returns in Dark Angel, Joseph Badal’s latest book in his Lassiter/Martinez Case Files series, and they do not disappoint.
Barbara Lassiter and Susan Martinez, having been promoted to detective sergeant rank in the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department of Violent Crimes/Homicide Squad, are handed a mysterious murder case. A child killer with a long record, released because of a corrupted chain of evidence, is discovered dead—stripped naked with a 14-inch tent peg embedded in his chest. No fingerprints, no body fluids, no hair, no evidence of the assailant are found at the crime scene, and to make circumstances more unusual, the cause of death was not the tent peg. And, so it begins.
Lassiter and Martinez follow the breadcrumbs, and the trail leads to similar unsolved cases. Soon, they realize that a vigilante-style serial killer is on the loose—the victims all outsmarted the legal system and avoided punishment. The plot becomes more complicated when they stumble onto an active FBI investigation.
Badal’s tale has all the essentials: suspense, tension, and excitement. The language is colorful and details vivid. His memorable characters are well developed, sympathetic, complex, and credible.
Dark Angel will keep readers “on the edge of their seats,” devouring page after page until the end.
Review by Sandi Cathcart (June 2020)
Author's Synopsis
In “Dark Angel,” the second in the Lassiter/Martinez Case Files series, Detectives Barbara Lassiter and Susan Martinez pick up where they left off in “Borderline.” Assigned to a murder case, they discover that their suspect is much more than a one-off killer. In fact, the murderer appears to be a vigilante hell-bent on taking revenge against career criminals who the criminal justice system has failed to punish.
But Lassiter and Martinez are soon caught up in the middle of an FBI investigation of a monstrous home invasion gang that has murdered dozens of innocent victims across the United States. When they discover a link between their vigilante killer and the home invasion crew, they come into conflict with powerful men in the FBI who are motivated more by career self-preservation than by bringing justice to innocent victims.
ISBN/ASIN: ISBN 978-1542366595, ASIN B01NCQBZ93, Audio B07W6J3CQ3, Audio/CD ISBN-13 978-1094068671
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, Audiobook
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 340