John Sandford’s second Letty Davenport novel, Dark Angel, is so convoluted that the descriptions online are confusing. I’ll admit that my review may sound a little messy as well because there are secrets that Letty doesn’t know that would reveal too much if I revealed them in the review.

Let’s start with one of the fun aspects of the novel, the Washington Ladies Peace-Maker Society. When Letty works a short assignment dealing with large thefts from FEMA, she’s teamed up with Barb Cartwright, from an unspecified agency. Barb sees that Letty receives an invitation to meet with the “Ladies”. It turns out to be a shooting club, of sorts, for women. As she’s told, “We’re all good with guns and we’re all killers. Letty remembers that late in her next assignment.

Although the National Security Agency asks Letty to take her next job, she actually works for Senator Chris Colles. Letty partners with Rod Baxter who knows computers and codes as they head to California, trying to infiltrate a group of hackers called Ordinary People. According to their NSA contact, Ordinary People has plans to shut down the natural gas supply in some city. But, Letty tells Rod that they’re lying about something.

She’s right. The hackers’ earlier target involved trains from Russia. And, the NSA has a bigger target in mind than the natural gas supply. Letty is going to have to call in reinforcements to go against Russian tough guys. She can’t protect a dozen hackers all by herself.

As I said, this is a convoluted plot. But, I love some of the humor in the book. At one point, someone says, “Would we be better off splitting up?” The response? “Have you ever even watched a horror movie?”

Read Dark Angel for Letty and her friends, the high-octane explosiveness and the black humor. Don’t worry about the plot. Does the government ever have a good reason for doing anything anyways?

Dark Angel by John Sandford is a Letty Davenport novel. The story was believable and well told, with very little back and forth through time. The story was about governmental law enforcement teaming up to infiltrate and learn more about a hacker group that might attack US power infrastructure during a cold period. But the people assigned, including Letty, are concerned that their bosses are not giving them the whole story. Along the way in this tale, Letty gets invited to a group of women ‘lawmen’ who are all very good with guns and are all bona fide killers, called “Peace Makers”, after the .45 revolver that tamed the west. I expect this group to play a role in future stories, as will Letty’s new gunfight pal, Cartwright, who had made her appearance in “The Investigator”. The reading is fast paced enough to keep you interested and Sandford’s writing is (typically) so comfortable to read that it feels like your own thinking. The book spins out the story and delivers a very good ending with satisfying outcomes and a surprise or two. Excellent book, story and great read. Finished in a few days of reading with one long session, when I just couldn’t put it down.

Second book in this series. My favorite Sandford books rght now are the Virgil Flowers books but I still enjoy both the Lucas and the Letty.

I love Mr. Sandford's writing style. I do find it a bit hard to believe Letty. I know she had a tough life and she takes after her father but she's just a little too cold blooded and hard boiled. Letty is asked to infiltate a hacker group. My favorite character in this book was her reluctant partner. They develop a fun bond on their cross country journey.

When they get to LA, they realize they haven't been given all the correct information from Homeland Security. It is interesting how it all comes together with the situation in Ukraine.

I'll continue to read anything Mr. Sandford writes.

I'm a big fan of Sandford and look forward to all of his new releases. This new series following Letty Davenport fits nicely into his world. The story zips along, characters are all very genial as you'd expect from Sandford, and Letty is turning into a kick-ass investigator to rival Lucas and Flowers.

One quibble - this verges on fetishistic about guns. I'm not anti gun, but this amount of love starts to risk getting political - I don't come to a Sandford novel to be told how to live my life, I come for the characters and the adventure. Personally I'd prefer it if the guns took a bit of a backseat to the people in future books.

Letty Davenport’s latest assignment is to infiltrate Ordinary People, a group of hackers who are supposedly working on shutting down the natural gas grid in a large midwestern city, which could be deadly in winter. She’s teamed with computer geek Rod Baxter from NSA. Letty may be young, but she already has amazing skills. Some were learned on the streets out of necessity while growing up, and some from her adopted father, Lucas Davenport, and she’s learning more along the way from some new friends. As Letty and Rod get more involved in their search for the elusive group, they come to believe that they’re being kept in the dark about certain things. Turns out they’re right.

I enjoyed this fast-paced, action-filled story full of danger, suspense, intrigue, and more!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The second book in the Letty Davernport series. Letty is tasked with going undercover in a multiagency operation to infiltrate a hacker group named Ordinary People. Working with a reluctant NSA computer wiz, Letty heads to California to infiltrate the group. As Letty and her NSA partner go deeper undercover they begin to realize there is a second objective to their mission.

Letty is basically a younger, female version of her adoptive father, Lucas. While I enjoy this series, it is not as good as the Lucas Davernport series. The story itself is solid, and there is plenty of action. The addition of foreign criminal elements as well as foreign government agencies add to the intrigue. My only issue is Letty comes off as an experienced player despite her youth. She never seems to slip up at all, so you really need to suspend reality as you read.

This book is a fun read, and well worth picking up. There is plenty of action to draw you in and keep you engaged. The writing is solid with the typical Sandford humor. The characters are likable, and the enemies formidable. Overall an above average thriller. Thank you to @netgalley @J_Sandford @PenguinBooks and @AtriaMysteryBus for a free advance copy of this book for an honest review.

Disclaimer: Received this as an advance reader copy via Netgalley and Penguin Random House LLC/G.P. Putnam’s Sons (Thank you!!)

If you are already a fan of John Sanford then there is a very high probability you will enjoy this second installment of the Letty Davenport series. Letty is the adopted daughter of Lucas Davenport, the protagonist in all the Prey novels, and she has grown up to be one smart, tough cookie. Readers of the Prey series will be quick to point out that she started out as a smart, tough cookie so it really isn't a surprise she is still one as an adult.

For those of you thinking "I have yet to delve into Sandford's body of work, would I still like this book?" the answer is yes. You need not have read The Investigator to enjoy this second installment, the book stands alone (you can go back and read the first book afterwards, lucky you!).

Since this is a crime mystery, there are no spoilers in this review. In his prior Prey and Virgil Flowers books, the author presents strong female characters but always on the side, in these Letty books, strong female characters are front and center. Letty is a 25 year old Stanford graduate who works for the Department of Homeland Security. She is sent to California for this caper and goes undercover as the girlfriend of a computer hacker. As usual, Sandford weaves actual current events into the story and the war in Ukraine plays a role in this one

Much as I enjoyed this book, at times I couldn't help thinking Letty sounds an awful lot like her dad, like the two characters could be interchangeable. I am curious to see how this Letty series will evolve and could not help but wonder will the author, who is an older gentleman, be successful in giving this young female character her own distinct voice. Either way, I am looking forward to the book #3.

Love John Sanford and this new series starring Letty Davenport is promising with a strong female protagonist. However, while the plot started off with a great premise, it began to drag half way through. Due to dry and boring details - and very little action- the pacing slowed, and so did this reader’s interest. With tighter editing and deleting extraneous details, the momentum could have better propelled the storyline along.

Thanks to NetGalley for a digitalmARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Lucas Davenport's twenty-five-year-old adopted daughter is now grown up and pursuing a career as an investigator, not too unlike her father's. She is tough as nails, independent, resilient, and impossible to intimidate, traits acquired in her early time caring for herself and her sick mother. Her passion is protecting her country and she is currently doing special assignments for a US Senator. In this assignment, the Senator asks her to infiltrate a group of hackers suspected of wreaking havoc on the country. She goes undercover as the body guard for a brilliant but reluctant NSA hacker, also undercover as he tries to infiltrate the group. It is presented as a safe job to gather information, a description that quickly proves wrong when the two are almost killed. Letty takes this in stride, not even the first time she's been attacked, considers it game on, one step closer to solving the mystery.

Great plot and characters

Letty Davenport and her friends, some old, some new and all interesting, try to infiltrate a hacker group on the direction of the US Government. The plot is interesting, fast paced and kind of believable.

The only part of the book I didn't like was the very end where a new character is introduced out of nowhere. He does fit in to the story and to me only added a gratuitous sex scene. It is likely just setting up the next book, but I would have been happier to have the next start with his introduction. This part seemed tacked on, and not very well.

Otherwise I found. this a great read. I am looking forward to the next of the Letty series or the other Sanford series.

When I reviewed John Sandford’s book The Investigator, last year, I wrote “I’ve been a fan of John Sandford’s books for many years, and have generally enjoyed the Lucas Davenport books more than the Virgil Flowers ones…in fact, the last two Flowers books I have read, “Holy Ghost” and “Bloody Genius,” have been serious disappointments for me. So I was happy to see that the focus for Sandford’s latest offering, “The Investigator,” was on someone other than Virgil (who I used to LOVE). But it’s NOT Lucas, this time it is his adopted daughter, Letty.” I concluded with “I can’t wait for more of Letty’s adventures, and I am SO glad that Sandford is back in TOP form. FIVE STARS!”

I’m happy to report that my wait is over, Letty is back! She is featured in Sandford’s forthcoming Dark Angel, and once again she is quite the bada$$. Letty is the adopted daughter of Lucas Davenport, Sandford’s long-time primary protagonist, and she is definitely grown up. She was recruited by the Department of Homeland Security and the NSA to use her considerable computer skills as she participates in an undercover assignment working with a dangerous group of hackers.

This group is known as “Ordinary People,” and they are determined to do some extraordinary things. Working with her partner from the NSA, Letty poses as an elite programmer willing to do most anything for money, the two of them find themselves going to the California headquarters of the group. As expected, Letty’s skills with both technology and firearms are well used. Fun times! Glad Sandford is well on the way to an entire series (I hope) featuring Letty. Five stars.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. I do like the way Sandford is preparing you a an exciting new series. The adventures of Letty Davenport quickly moved forward through various locations and through numerous twists and turns. The characters are well defined and intriguing. I look forward to # 3 of Letty's exploits.

Like a lot of people, I was less than thrilled when so many of my favorite mystery/crime authors suddenly started writing young female protagonists and, to one degree or another, put the characters we had come to love out to pasture. Too old, I guess. Too male, certainly.

But never fear. DARK ANGEL is a Lucas Davenport novel. That Fucking Flowers is even in it. It's just they're both wearing dresses. Hard to wrap you head around that, huh? Squint a little. You'll get used to it.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. As always this was another great book by John Sanford, this is book 2 in the spinoff series for Lucas's daughter Letty. I found this one to be very suspenseful and I was thrilled to receive it.

John Sandford's Dark Angel is Book 2 of the Letty Davenport series, spotlighting Lucas Davenport's twenty-five-year-old adopted daughter--now grown up and pursuing a career as an investigator, not too unlike her father's. She is tough as nails, independent, resilient, and impossible to intimidate, traits acquired in her early time caring for herself and her sick mother. Her passion is protecting her country and she is currently doing special assignments for a US Senator. In this assignment, the Senator asks her to infiltrate a group of hackers suspected of wreaking havoc on the country. She goes undercover as the body guard for a brilliant but reluctant NSA hacker, also undercover as he tries to infiltrate the group. It is presented as a safe job to gather information, a description that quickly proves wrong when the two are almost killed. Letty takes this in stride, not even the first time she's been attacked, considers it game on, one step closer to solving the mystery.

Written in John Sandford's usual fast moving and relatable prose, this is fun and addicting from start to almost-finish with an ending that’s better than the unsatisfying completion of book one but still not great. Odd for such a great writer. I don't know if someone else is ghost writing it or if it's the change of main characters. If you read this, see if you agree it earns a 4/5 rather than the usual 5/5 for everything I've read in the Lucas Davenport series. Still, highly recommended for lovers of espionage, clever plots, and books that challenge readers to unravel the mystery before the story's end.

John Sanford writes nothing but amazing novels. How can you not love Lucas Davenport, and to carry on his legacy through his daughter is perfect. Cannot wait for the next one!

Letty Davenport.....the newest member of John Sandford's posse. I like the way he's taking this new series, and am enjoying watching him develop the character of Letty. It's different than he's done with the character of Lucas and with Virgil. I honestly don't know how Sandford does it, his imagination must be limitless!
With this entry, we observe Letty getting her feet under her, discovering more about who she is, and what she is capable of. I can see great things coming for the series. And with the new partners Sandford has assigned Letty, the series is set for takeoff. I hope he continues to use them.
The book is typical Sandford. Fast-paced, full of action, witty, and fun to read. Everything I have come to expect from him, and he doesn't disappoint this time either!
I discovered Sandford many years ago, when he was revealed to be a Garage Logician in Minneapolis. I have been a fan ever since! Thank you, John Sandford!

I have been a big fan of the Prey books and the Virgil Flower series. Now Letty Davenport has emerged as a worthy extension to those series (but hopefully there will be more of those as well!)

The story brought back some characters from The Investigator and introduced some new ones as well. That's one of the things I like about John Sandford novels - we get to revisit characters we know for a new adventure.

As always, the dialog is sharp, the situation engaging, and justice is done. Well done, Mr. Sandford, this is another excellent read.

Letty Davenport, the adopted daughter of US Marshall Lucas Davenport, is tasked by Homeland Security and the NSA with infiltrating a group of white hat hackers -- who may have decided to switch to black hats. They are supposedly targeting the heating fuel supplies in the midwest as winter approaches.

Since Lettie is not a computer geek, the government has teamed her with one, and they head to California in search of Ordinary People. As they make contact, and work the case, they realize that someone has lied to them, and their mission may be very different -- and more dangerous.

John Sandford is the absolute master of cop humor, elevating Dark Angel into a satisfying and enjoyable crime romp. Highly recommended. #DarkAngel #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

I love John Sandford series and Letty Davenport's series is not to be missed. She is gutsy and fun, and this was so lively I couldn't put the book down.

Letty goes undercover for the NSA with her 'nerd' partner Baxter to find the Ordinary People hacker group. What ensues is fast rolling fun with some current events thrown in. I loved the addition of Cartwright and the Ladies, I can't wait for more!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC