Angry Betty by Jamie Lee Scott

Angry Betty Reviews

• 
  Carol Kean

  Strong heroine, authentic characters, witty dialogue, gritty and honest look at police work--this is a well-written novel and fans of the genre are sure to want more, more, more.
  
  Normally, any book or movie about drug-related crime is of little interest to me. Especially the Mexican drug cartel, which I got more than my fill of with 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul,' but the acting is so good, I can't *not* watch these TV shows.
  
  The heroine of this "oh no not another crime story about drug trafficking" novel is the daughter of a drug-addicted single mother. Raised in a foster home, Kate finds a brother in Bryce, and both of them find work in a hot, humid Texas town called Peculiar. Bryce is a nurse in a forensics lab. Kate is a cop looking to earn her promotion. The novel opens with her wanting to go home at the end of her shift, only to get caught up chasing a Mercedes and finding a murder victim in the trunk.
  
  The characters are all distinct and authentic, with one exception, the mole, the bad guy posing as good guy. Too obvious, and for Karen to trust him just seemed too stupid, but that's what authors rely on most: humans making bad decisions. What kind of novels and movies would we have if everybody used common sense instead of knee-jerk reactions, foolish decisions, and unresolved mental issues? That said, I could barely abide Karen's attitude toward men in general and her ex-husband in particular. She left him because she's commitment phobic, even though they're clearly still in love with each other and he's not only a great guy, he's also her boss. Come on, Karen, get over your issues. Yeah. In real life, how many people do we wish that of?
  
  The ending is a cliffhanger, as the one-star bandits like to point out, complaining that they now have to spend money to read the rest of the story. Well, if it's a good story, you *should* be willing to pay the author for it. The same complainers pay for electronic gadgets, but expect authors to give their work away?
  
  In all, this is a well written story with strong characters. Great potential for a series, and for a TV show.
• 
  Lise

  Really can't decide whether this is a 3 or a 4.
  
  Kate Darby, now an officer in a small Texas town, is on patrol when a routine traffic stop turns into something more sinister - a dead body in the car trunk.
  
  I didn't gravitate to Kate's character. She was too prickly, too self-absorbed. In fact, egocentric characters abound in this book. Despite having the tag "A Kate Darby Novel", we do spend a lot of time with the supporting cast and they are just as involved with themselves as Kate is.
  
  Here's the dilemma I face: I'm not fond of Kate and don't see it happening anytime soon, but the plot really grabbed my attention. And, there was a massive cliffhanger at the end of the book more than one, actually which left it feeling unfinished. I don't mind a story arc spanning several books, but a cliffhanger is almost a deal-breaker. Maybe when I clear my TBR pile, I'll come by and visit book 2 to see how things played out. Maybe.
• 
  K

  Lee Scott’s Kate Darby series begins with this book, “Angry Betty.” According to the author, the title is police slang referring to a doped-up female who is argumentative, aggressive and prone to resisting arrest. And whaddya know? One of the central “hooks” in this plot involves just such a character — who happens to be the adolescent “crush” of a rookie cop who still harbors some rather juvenile fantasies about saving her from a life of drugs, marrying her and living happily ever after.
  
  His training officer is the featured character of the series, and for 90% of the book, she is portrayed as a tough, street-wise cop until, that is, she demonstrates inconceivable levels of incompetence and a complete loss of any street-smarts or police training when assailed by a single baddie, overpowered, and well.... eh, don’t bother. There are at least two more in this series, so we know she lives.
  
  Many police procedural and murder mysteries seem to struggle to rise above mediocre, to achieve the lofty status of a Connelly, McBain, Westlake, Winslow, and the like. This is testament to just how good those authors are/were, and when I read an author for the first time, I hope to find another gem. But, like all precious things, they are few and far between. Angry Betty is an okay story, but too full of nonsense and lacking authenticity and characters in whom I could be interested.
• 
  K Huskić

  This was a great start to a new series. Complex characters and a storyline that keeps you interested. Enjoyed reading from both Kate and Jake's points of view.
  
  It was a great read, I had to buy book 2 (Bang Switch) as soon as I'd finished this one! I need to continue the story!
• 
  Julia Walker

  I am going to start this review differently from the way I usually write - this is a great read, well written, can’t put it down, superb character development - BUT - and I mean a serious BUT - none of the plot strands in this book come to completion within this book. Although this is what I would call a guarantee for me to not recommend it, I decided to make an exception to my usual rule. This is worth the read, even if it leaves you hanging. The characters and the storyline are that well done.
  
  Kate Darby has had a crappy life. She was in Foster care, the only real family member she knew about was her alcoholic drug-abusing Mom, who is dead. She is recently divorced and living in the small town of Peculiar, Texas. One of the most interesting things about Kate is that she is a cop. Growing up, she was taught to hate cops: they were the bad guys and could never be trusted. Her ex-husband is also a cop.
  
  One night toward the end of Kate’s shift, she pulls a Mercedes over for running a stop sign. Kate prefers working alone and is used to all sorts of antics from drivers, so she isn’t surprised when the driver flees. Searching the car and finding the dead body in the trunk is certainly not what she expected. Finding herself now working on a murder case is great, she is ready to get off patrol but working it with her ex-husband is a whole other story.
  
  When you finish the book you will be angry that Scott left you hanging but you will not regret reading the book.
  
• 
  Jodi Pomerleau

  I quite enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting and not your run-of-the-mill cops and morgue workers. Kate pulls over a Mercedes for failing to stop, and the guy does a runner. She finds a dead body in the trunk which leads to a whole mess of problems. Her rookie trainee gets himself into a mess as well, trying to help a former friend turned drug addict, and a consummate liar. Throw in a never before heard of grandfather who has left Kate a pecan plantation, drug cartels, an ex-husband boss, and a "brother" from a foster family, and you have a cast of interesting characters. The only knock on the story is that though the reader is fully aware of what transpired at the end, there is no conclusion. Seemingly you have to read the next book to see if the person gets caught. I hate those kinds of books. It actually turns me off of reading the next.
• 
  Jan Locke

  Angry Betty marches on
  
  There are a lot of characters, good and bad. Zane and Jake are very likeable but Kate is not someone I'd enjoy spending time with. I couldn't follow some of the criminal trails and Kate never seemed to react "real". I picked out the villain very early and waited to see how he/she (hate spoilers lol) would be revealed but that will be in a later book. Angry Betty is true to what I've seen of addicts and it's sad. Jake's uncle is a highlight for me, as he shows wisdom, compassion, kindness and yet is firm. Undecided about continuing this series.
• 
  LucyMayBR

  This was an excellent book. Well written. Well edited. Fun read. So why did I give it just 3 stars? Because I hate to be left hanging, and that is what this book did at the end. I know writers will do this sort of thing to get you to buy the next book in the series, but I hate being manipulated! The next book "Bang Switch" is $5.99 . . . and yes I bought it because I had to know what happened. But in licking my wound, I realized I got this book free so paying 6 bucks for the next book equals 3 bucks a piece for my Kindle reads. I can live with that I guess.
• 
  Rikka

  Decent detective drama
  
  The book itself is just alright. It was entertaining enough to keep me going, and it had some pretty fun twists. I'm not thrilled that Kate is kind of sexist against women and is so obviously part of the "cool girl" trope that it makes her character a little flatter than one requires of a good heroine, but nothing too terrible. I also wish the plantation inheritance had been left out of the story. Just seems unnecessary to the narrative, however I haven't read the other two books yet, so we'll have to see
• 
  Kathy T Vaillancourt

  Good story with no real ending
  
  The who done it plot is good and kept me interested. I dislike books with no real ending. Meaning I still don't know the whole story! I get that it's a marketing tool to get you to buy the next book. However, I've real lots of stories that have reoccurring characters but read fine as a stand alone book. I find that more enjoyable. Why not just make it one whole stand alone book? I probably won't buy the next in the series just because I'm pissed off at the unending.
• 
  Kimberleigh

  Ugh. Where do I start? This book reads like it was written by a 12 year old, right down to what a couple of cops ordered at the drive-thru. I think there's a story in there, but it's drowned in too many characters and unnecessary rambling. Back stories are given on characters who still seem wooden and two-dimensional. Simplistic writing rounds out this snoozefest. Thank goodness I got it for free.
• 
  Reba

  Starts fast!
  
  Started off fast and didn't slow down! Meet Cpl. Kate Darby, patrol officer in small town Texas, who wants to become detective. She soon gets her chance when she stops a car and with a dead body in the trunk. Gotta couple of twists in there too, along with a good cast of characters.
• 
  Kay Wright

  Well, you get what you pay for. This free book from Bookbub was hardly worth the time it took to read it. There’s no mystery here, just police procedural that focuses almost entirely on basic procedures, no detecting or puzzle solving. Or well written, limp character delopment and no mystery. Why bother.