But this time in the process of getting her man, Lawrence Coombs, a sexual sadist, Dixie acquires a broken ankle and numerous bruises. When a jury lets Coombs off, and a group of vigilantes gives him a taste of his own medicine, he assumes that Dixie is part of the group, and vows his revenge.

The unknowing Dixie is busy with her latest job – babysitting Sarina Page, the teenage daughter of a film star who's receiving threatening notes from a stalker. At the same time, Dixie is worried that a close friend may be a member of the vigilante group, quickly dubbed the "Avenging Angels." When the group begins targeting other suspected criminals who have gotten off, Dixie knows she has to get involved.

Dixie has some problems in her private life, too. Her blossoming three-week relationship with Parker Dann (the man she tracked down in Bitch Factor) is suffering from his distaste and concern for her dangerous occupation. Parker may just be the perfect man – a gourmet cook, thoughtful, romantic and handsome, to boot – but Dixie is having trouble with commitment.

Dixie Flannigan remains a compelling character. A former district attorney who left that profession because she got tired of seeing guilty people get off, Dixie sympathizes with the Avenging Angels, yet she still believes in the system.

Rage Factor suffers from an excess of subplots and characters. With six possible suspects as Avenging Angels, plus numerous possibilities for Sarina's stalker, toss in the background for each of the vigilante group's victims and the vigilante's victims' victims and Dixie's contacts, both in and out of the police department – well, you get the picture. I occasionally had to reread sections in the book to make sure I had the important characters straight.

If you can keep them straight, what author Rogers does best is deliver taut, frightening action scenes that have you on the edge of your seat. She has also created one of the more intriguing female characters around in Dixie Flannigan, a tough, strong, independent woman who may have found the love of her life – but isn't sure how he'll fit in.

I eagerly await next year's Chill Factor, the third installment in this series.

--Dede Anderson