The Good Stranger by Dete Meserve

The Good Stranger (A Kate Bradley Mystery, #3)

by Dete Meserve

From the bestselling author of Good Sam—now a Netflix feature film—comes another Kate Bradley story about the nature of generosity and finding unexpected connections with strangers.

TV reporter Kate Bradley arrives in Manhattan ready to take on a challenging new position as a national news correspondent. When a massive power outage plunges New York City into darkness, the disaster she expected to cover takes an unexpected turn. Someone is leaving thousands of mysterious gifts throughout the city, and the only clue to the giver’s identity is the occasional note from “A Stranger.”

Together with handsome TV series host Scott Jameson, Kate must make sense of these random generous acts, which quickly escalate in scale and capture the attention of viewers across the country. In early-morning stakeouts and late-night surveillance, they crisscross the city hunting down leads, but the elusive Stranger is always one step ahead.

Menacing letters and videos addressed to Kate threaten to derail the investigation, but she’s determined to uncover the identity of the benefactor. The closer Kate gets to the truth, the more clearly she sees that even the smallest act of generosity can bring about powerful change. And it just may take her own selfless act of kindness to solve the feel-good mystery of the year.

Reviewed by Jeff Sexton on

5 of 5 stars

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A Book For Our Time. "The next pandemic is a matter of if, not when." Yes, that line is in this book. Yes, Meserve finished writing this book by Halloween 2019. No, this book doesn't actually have anything to do with that line in particular, it is simply a throwaway bit of a random interview that wasn't even Kate Bradley's interview. :D But what this book *does* focus on is the very same things Meserve herself has begun to focus on over the last few years, both with these Kate Bradley stories and with her own outreach: finding the everyday, unsung acts of kindness all around us. Reporting on that. Promoting that. Though with this book, for the very first time in a Bradley book - and contrary to what Ayn Rand may think -, we find someone truly altruistic. Someone genuinely not interested in any form of personal gain beyond the personal satisfaction that they know they did a good thing for someone who needed it. So let's take a page from Bradley and Meserve. Let's highlight some of these stories ourselves. Very much recommended.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 11 May, 2020: Finished reading
  • 11 May, 2020: Reviewed