Brooklyn's toughest female detective takes on Dallas in this 'violent, sexy, and completely absorbing' novel (Kirkus), the final book in the acclaimed Betty Rhyzyk series. Things are looking up for Detective Betty Rhyzyk. She's settled into a happy marriage and been promoted to Sergeant in the Dallas Police Department. But when a hostage stand-off puts her on the phone with legendary cartel leader The Knife, things take a turn. A rival is making a play for the Knife's territory: none other than Evangeline Roy. The matriarch of a ruthless cult, Evangeline also holds a personal vendetta against Betty. So who better to draw Evangeline out of hiding? Betty's got two weeks to catch her. Or else. With the drug dealers of Dallas donning strange red wigs and delivering cryptic messages, Betty's in a race for answers. As the clock ticks down, it will take everything she's got to finally put an end to Evangeline's reign of terror, and to keep her beloved Dallas - and her own family - safe at last. Reviewers on The Pledge: 'The terrific adrenaline punch you'd expect for the grand finale of Kathleen Kent's Edgar-nominated trilogy.' Julia Heaberlin 'A thrilling last dance with the formidable Betty Rhyzyk.' Steph Cha? 'Detective Betty is one of my favorite queer characters in crime fiction.' Kristen Lepionka 'Satisfying and action-packed.' Publishers Weekly

A police procedural like none you've ever read -- Hank Phillippi Ryan
In Edgar finalist Kent's thrilling third and final novel featuring Sgt. Betty Rhyzyk of the North Central Dallas PD (after 2020's The Burn), two of her past enemies return to Dallas, each seeking revenge... Kent does a fine job weaving the various plot strands into a satisfying and action-packed whole * Publishers Weekly *
I read this book in a compulsive binge because it felt physically painful to be away from the story until it was over. Betty Rhyzyk won't soon be forgotten by crime readers, but after a trilogy's worth of trauma and violence, she deserves to rest and heal from the hardships her creator put her through * New York Times Book Review *
A rapid page-turning police procedural... I definitely recommend to those who love action, adventure and thrills, with a great female lead! * Beauty and Lace *
PRAISE FOR KATHLEEN KENT: 'Kent isn't afraid to make a turn toward the macabre, and she's been doing this long enough that the words spill from the page with ease. Detective Betty remains one of the most distinctive and vivid crime fighters out there' Texas Monthly. 'One of the most breathless, inventive, and be forewarned, violent suspense plots I've read in a long time' NPR. 'Kent is an effective storyteller and an acute social observer, with a sharp eye for Texas-sized absurdities' Los Angeles Review of Books. 'Exciting [and] moving... Grisly but likeable' Wall Street Journal. 'Terrific... Kent's own ability to avoid predictable outcomes and keep the reader on edge bodes well for future installments in this series' * Chicago Tribune *

Kathleen Kent is a New York Times bestselling author and a two-time Edgar Award Nominee. She has also written the award-winning historical novels The Heretic's Daughter, The Traitor's Wife, and The Outcasts, and been published in the crime anthology Dallas Noir. In March 2020 she was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for her contribution to Texas literature. Follow Kathleen on www.kathleenkent.com