Dark Angel (A Letty Davenport Novel)

I liked Letty a bit more in this one than I did in the first book, but she has a long way to grow before she's anywhere near as good as her father, Lucus Davenport, who has been a favorite of mine for years. The National Security Agency (NSA) brings her in for an undercover operation to track down

Show More

a well-organized cell of hackers known as "Ordinary People". The NSA tells her the hackers are nosing around natural gas distribution systems and they think the group intends to shut down the natural gas supply of a northern city in a ransomware attack which could, in the dead of winter, cause civilian fatalities. The NSA wants Letty to hook up with one of their computer specialists and to protect him as he tries to infiltrate the hacker cell to identify as many of them as possible so the agency can avert the attack. Letty still works as an investigator for the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, although her real boss is Senator Christopher Colles, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. While Letty suspects the NSA reps aren’t telling her the entire story, she accepts the assignment when Colles asks her to take it. They soon learn that there is much more about the operation than the NSA told her and Baxter when they signed on. It isn’t long before they discover the NSA has pitted them against a far more dangerous adversary than a bunch of computer nerds, and their actual mission has nothing to do with keeping someone from shutting off natural gas supplies. Letty is a strong female lead character for this series, and she is so much like her father even if she was adopted. John Sandford's "Prey" series will always be my favorite because of the Lucas Davenport character and Lucas's friends and fellow agents, but I think this series will eventually be equally s good. I really didn't like anything about the first book in the series, mainly because of Letty's "better than anyone else" attitude and it read as if aliens had taken over John Sandford's body to write it, but I did more enjoy this one.

Show Less

Letty Davenport is partnered with Rod Baxter a NSA computer expert to infiltrate a hacker group known as Ordinary People. Three years ago, the group had released ransomware that had taken control of the Russian train system and wreaked havoc for months. Now, according to NSA, the group is

Show More

threatening to shut down the natural gas supply for at least one major Northern city which has the potential to cause the deaths of many people.

However, the more Letty and her new partner look into the group and meet some possible members, the more they suspect they're not being told the whole truth. Their suspicions are confirmed when they see two men enter the home of one of the members of Ordinary People who is later found murdered. Clearly, their real target is a lot more dangerous than a group of hackers.

Dark Angel is the second in the Letty Davenport novels by John Sandford and it is one twisty fast-paced thriller. Letty is a strong female protagonist and her character is more fleshed out here. Overall, a fun fast and topical read with a nice touch of humour guaranteed to keep the reader’s attention throughout.

Thanks to Edelweiss+ and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Show Less

Dark Angel is John Sandford's latest novel and is the second tale in the new Letty Davenport series.
I’m a longtime fan of John Sandford’s writing and have read everything he’s written. Letty Davenport was introduced quite a few books back. I wasn’t sure about her in the beginning but

Show More

she’s grown on me, and I’m happy to see that she is going to be permanent with her own series.

Letty proved herself with her last assignment for Homeland Security, and they think she’s the perfect fit for a new undercover assignment. It starts with infiltrating the shady world of hackers, ransomware but travels to other unforeseen places and people. And along the way, Letty wonders about the response she’s getting from the government folks. She feels like they’re lying to her and her partners…

Letty really is a chip off the old block. You can recognize many of Lucas‘s personality traits, and thinking in Letty’s actions, behaviour, and dialogue.

The action starts in the first page and it really never stops until you hit the end pages. It would make a great action film.

The dialogue is quick, snappy, and sharp. But it’s also humorous in a dark fashion, quite like Lucas and Virgil. Every lead character needs a side kick in that’s found in two characters. In this book one is Baxter, who is going undercover with Letty. And the other is Cartwright, an agent in an unnamed alphabet government agency. I think we’ll be seeing her in the next book.

The plotting of Dark Angel is intricate, detailed and brings many newspaper headlines to mind. Keeping everything straight in this plot will take a little bit of effort. And I admit, I did have a bit of trouble with keeping up with who’s who and what their connection is, etc. But that's on me.

Overall, another great book from Sandford.

Show Less

Letty, working for Senator Colles and Homeland Security, gets sent on a mission to infiltrate a hacker group, Ordinary People. Accompanied by hacker Rod Baxter, they cross the country making connections and working their way towards OP while knowing that the government is not telling them

Show More

everything.

Show Less

I’ve read most of John Sandford’s books because I really appreciate his writing style. DARK ANGEL was not typical.
Letty Davenport, especially her firearm ability, lead the Department of Homeland Security and NSA to get information on and stop a secret group (Ordinary People) who are trying to

Show More

create monumental chaos both within the US and abroad.
Claiming to be hackers, she and Baxter, her assigned partner, set off by car from Florida to California where they meet up with members of the group and people who know about them.
The story begins as Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine, which is part of the story.
The team is expanded as more information is discovered. There is a lot of killing (non-descriptive) and even more computer-related talk and action.
The slightly descriptive sex scene at the end is totally unnecessary.
Overall: Big disappointment.

Show Less

Excellent book. Love Letty.

Dark Angel is a story about computer hackers and Russians. It is just a story. The characters were likeable. The settings were believable. It did not seem like a true story but it was thrilling nevertheless. Only three and a half stars were awarded in this review because it was not necessarily

Show More

believable.

Show Less