Sheriff’s detective Katrina “Hurricane” Williams confronts deep-rooted hate and greed in the Missouri Ozarks in this riveting police procedural… What at first appears to be a brush fire in some undeveloped bottom land yields the charred remains of a young African-American man. As sheriff’s Katrina Williams conducts her inspection of the crime scene, she discovers broken headstones and … broken headstones and disturbed open graves in a forgotten cemetery.
As Katrina attempts to sort out a complex backwoods criminal network involving the Aryan Brotherhood, meth dealers, and the Ozarks Nightriders motorcycle gang, she is confronted by the sudden appearance of a person out of her own past who may be involved. And what seems like a clear-cut case of racially motivated murder is further complicated by rumors of hidden silver and dark family histories. To uncover the ugly truth, Katrina will need to dig up past crimes and shameful secrets that certain people would kill to keep buried . . .
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Wow, Katrina (aka, “Hurricane”) is a strong yet vulnerable heroin dealing with actual issues female vets are subject to. I read three books in a row…I was hooked. Family, police, and veteran everyday issues are wonderfully woven into an action packed plot. Good book…look forward to more.
In the third installment of the Katrina “Hurricane” Williams books, Katrina continues to attempt to swim thorough a quagmire of personal, professional, and past issues.
On the personal side, her husband has died and she has given in to the mutual attraction for fellow co-worker Billy Blevins. On the professional side, a new case brings her into the crosshairs and right hooks of and Aryan brotherhood-type fascist, racist motorcycle group. As for the past, the mother that abandoned her on her uncle’s dock when Katrina was just six years old comes back into the picture.
Personal and past crash together in a series of murders and incidents and her present life is turned upside down by a job offer Billy wants to take.
As with all the Hurricane Williams books, this one was rife with violence –most of it to Katrina herself, both physically and mentally. She’s still seeing her shrink for her anger issues. Hint: the therapy works about half the time in controlling the rage within her. In this book she even attempts to soften her physical image by dressing in “girl clothes” for work. In my last review of book two I stated it was unusual that Katrina was surrounded only by men, no woman even forging herself into her life as a friend, or mentor. The only female in her realm is her pyche doctor, whom Hurricane equally despises and admires. Katrina is simply not a girl’s girl. In this book we find out why.
This latest installment in the Katrina Williams series is a must read. A Dark Path follows the latest adventures of Ozark’s Sheriff’s Detective Katrina Williams as she searches for answers about a murder of a young black man on a violently racist group’s property. There are decades old secrets that prevent the truth from coming to light and Katrina finds herself battling a local radical hate group, a local motorcycle gang and the Aryan Brotherhood, not to mention her own inner demons that refuse to let her go.
Dunn’s writing is deep, his descriptions jaw dropping and he paints a gripping tale on a dark canvas, but it’s a journey well worth taking. If you haven’t read the first book in the series, A Living Grave, start there. But don’t forget to work your way up to the best installment yet.
This third Katrina Williams novel starts with a brief moment of normal and even some semblance of happy for our feisty heroine, but it’s short-lived. After all, she is called Hurricane and she’s earned it. Katrina finds herself smack in the middle of a murder case, white supremacists, a motorcycle gang, and drug dealers. In addition to the action and danger on the professional side, she’s also hit with problems in her personal life. Much like the first two book in the series, there’s a little bit for everyone who enjoys the genre. It’s full of action, suspense, and drama. While I enjoyed all of those things, the place where this author shines is with his rich and complex characters. From their little quirks and personalities, to the wonderful descriptions of how they interact with others, Dunn has created a group of people that you can’t help but want to know more about. Love them or hate them, they’re all interesting and each stands out in his or her own unique way. All in all, another entertaining read from this author.
**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.**
The third book in the Katrina Williams series is A Dark Path. Again, this series really needs to be read in the appropriate order and not just because I say that on every series! For fans of this series and those who hope for just a smidgen of happiness for Katrina, the book starts with that chance. To be honest, I had hope that it would finally happen. I noticed a real difference in Katrina in the beginning of this book. She was letting down some of her walls she built, she acted more stable, she was putting effort into working with her therapist. After everything she’s been through and worked to overcome, it was such a difference.
Of course, Katrina is called when a body is found and as expected, it’s an ugly case from start to end. What starts out as a body burned in a pile of brush turns into a field of bodies. Katrina’s investigation is going down a dark hole and the stories that are uncovered are horrific. This author really confronts some of the ugliest parts of people. In the first book, it was the abuse that happened and was ignored in the military, along with abuse in family that is hidden and can warp the mind of the abused. In the second book, it was the secrets that hide behind the tent revival. In this book, it’s the ugliness of white supremacy and its history with even the people you know. And yes, this book and series is a work of fiction.
Again, I absolutely loved how well done the police procedural is. Every step of the detective work is done with the reader riding along for the investigation. Katrina does a great job of picking apart each clue and following it to the next one. The author has her truly investigating a murder, not shortchanging it with magical findings. Despite my feelings about the personal parts of the story, the author’s writing of the police procedural is what will keep bringing me back for each new book in the series.
This case that Katrina is working is heartbreaking. With the other books, you can think, oh this is just fiction, it would never happen. **eyeroll** With this one, you know the ugly history of white supremacy and you know the chances that something like this happened anywhere in the US is pretty high. My heart broke as Katrina unraveled the mystery in this case.
I’ve said before that I thought the author did a fantastic job, but I thought this one really showed his writing strengths. The history of white supremacy is a multi-dimensional issue. Yes, in my mind it’s a right/wrong issue, but the reality is there are people who we’d be shocked by the hatred they had based on skin tone. And in this story, those people were forced to confront their behaviors and hate that they had hidden or moved on from.
The author doesn’t give Katrina a break and she’s faced with violence and abuse that sends her spiraling out of control again, plus the reappearance of someone from her past. Honestly, Katrina can’t catch a break, it’s no wonder she’s called the Hurricane. Her controlled behavior was short lived and she was again in a spiral. And though I struggle with Katrina’s professional behavior, personally, I love her. She’s strong, fierce, independent and a badass.
Again, for those who enjoy police procedures and mysteries, this is a series you must read! In this regard, I think this is definitely one of my favorite series. And as much as I don’t like what the author puts Katrina through, it fits naturally into the story. It’s not like he’s just abusing her for the heck of it but maybe soon he’ll write some self-preservation characteristics for her! Grab the books in this series now!
Rating: 4 stars
Katrina isn’t your average woman. She doesn’t primp, do mani’s or pedi’s, she doesn’t meet the girls for girls night. She’s a cop. A darn good one too. Daily she fights the wall of blue that is a resemblance of the military in their treatment of women. She has a past. One that continues to assault her but she is finally embracing healing and her mandated visits to her psychiatrist. As she moves on from her loss she starts dating but still holds her past close to the vest. It’s a constant worry while she battles more of her past and secrets are revealed as she investigates a murder that opens some old wounds for her. She isn’t going to make it out of this mess without more scars, for the life of me I can’t understand her need to continue to self torture.
Great read. The more I read of her the more connected I become and understand the attitude that makes her seem untouchable or robotic is what she uses to protect herself. While we see a calmer side of her, her handling of her drinking and her response to her flashbacks, there is still much work ahead of her. Loved it.
Meet the Ozarks’ force of nature … Katrina “Hurricane” Williams, Deputy Sheriff.
Katrina is sent to investigate a fire in some dormant land. Her investigation turns up broken headstones, open graves … and the charred remains of a young African-American man.
Her search for the killer leads to a backwoods criminal network, a vicious motorcycle gang, meth dealers, and the Aryan Brotherhood. She feels that the murder was racially motivated, but things get really muddled when there’s rumors of silver.
Shameful secrets, lies, crime, corruption, complicate her life in more ways than one. An unexpected appearance of someone from Katrina’s past shows up. Her budding romance with Deputy Billy Blevins is headed for the rocks … by her own defenses.
This is a well-written action-packed story that shows how family secrets can be held in silence through generation after generation. The ending is … ferocious.
Katrina is tough, smart, dedicated to her job … but she suffers a form of PTSD from her military days. Her anger and flashbacks has caused some problems with her job, resulting in her boss’ demand that she undergo counseling. She makes a terrific series character.
Although third in a series, this is easily a stand-alone. However, as always, I highly recommend starting at the beginning.
Many thanks to the author / Kensington Books /Lyrica Underground / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.