Dark Hearts
Under a thick canopy of pine trees, Cassidy Wilder frantically searches for a hiding place. Her breath catches in her mouth as she hears heavy footsteps. She says a silent prayer, but she knows he’s closing in on her. She knows it’s too late…
When a robbery at a local store ends with multiple deaths and the abduction of sixteen-year-old schoolgirl
Cassidy Wilder, FBI agent Beth Katz and her partner Dax Styles are called in. Visiting Cassidy’s family home just a couple of blocks away from the quiet little store where she went missing, Beth’s heart breaks as she talks to her grieving parents and promises to find their daughter.
Looking at CCTV footage, Beth is horrified to see how calm the killer is as he shoots everyone in the store before forcing the terrified Cassidy to follow him into his truck. Then Beth uncovers multiple robberies just like this one, where all witnesses are killed and a young girl is taken. All of the victims are taken at night and found dead the following morning, so Beth knows time is running out to save Cassidy.
When Cassidy’s lifeless body is discovered dumped on a busy highway near a patch of forest, Beth is devastated. And as more girls go missing, she fears the murderer is escalating. A breakthrough finally comes when she finds a name written in blood next to one of the bodies. Beth knows she’s close to catching the killer and is determined to stop any more lives from being taken—even if it means serving her own form of justice. Will she be able to resist the urge to take a life herself?
Or will she become the killer’s next victim?
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D.K. Hood
In the cold stillness of a London snowstorm, D.K. Hood entered a world she would later populate with chilling secrets, unsolved murders, and flawed heroes. Today, Hood stands among the sharpest voices in crime fiction, best known for her gripping Detectives Kane and Alton series—dark, atmospheric thrillers that have climbed bestseller lists including USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.
Though her novels are set in the remote Montana town of Black Rock Falls, Hood’s own journey began oceans away. Growing up by the English coast before eventually settling in Australia, she nurtured an early fascination with crime and psychology. Long before penning her first novel, she was the one lingering over true crime documentaries and forensic journals, piecing together the puzzles of human behavior. This quiet obsession would one day fuel the pulse-pounding narratives that have captivated millions of readers around the world.
Detective Beth Katz
Detective Beth Katz consists of four books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.

