A lot of the fun and energy in Bitch Factor, Chris Rogers's first book about Texas prosecutor-turned-bounty hunter Dixie Flannigan, came from Dixie's unabashed audacity and attitude. She's so fed up with watching bad guys get off easy that she's shaved down her career to only catching them, and letting other people worry about punishing them. This simplicity of purpose also keeps Dixie's return on track, even as the events swirling around her become a lot more complicated.

How could a jury actually find a sadistic rapist named Lawrence Coombs not guilty? That's what Dixie--who broke her ankle bringing Coombs in--wants to know. But she gets over her disappointment and on with her work (guarding a stalker's potential victim) and her life (involving a relationship with a man she arrested on her first outing). Then a vigilante group of women, who call themselves the Avenging Angels, viciously beat up Coombs, and he mistakenly blames Dixie for the attack. So on top of everything else she has to deal with are his absolutely terrifying attempts at revenge. A lesser woman, and a less cocksure writer, might not handle these complications well. But Dixie and her creator are more than equal to the challenge. --Dick Adler