DARED to RETURN: A Kate Anderson Mystery (Book 2) by J.J. Clarke – Cozy Mystery, Female Sleuth, Humorous Mystery

Kate Anderson has an exciting new life in Tampa Bay, Florida. An aspiring writer with a new book recently released, she’s left behind her old life as a court investigator in Kingseat, Missouri. But when she receives a frantic call from her ninety-two-year-old grandfather, Theodore, she hops on a plane back home.

Just five weeks earlier, Kate’s step-grandmother, Helen, died. Not long after Helen’s death, Kate’s grandfather was thrown out of his house and sent to the Squaw Valley Nursing Home, a place where old people go to die. Unbeknownst to Kate, most of Helen’s two-million-dollar estate has been left in trust – and not to her husband of twenty-five years. The trustee is a corrupt secret society known as HOGG, a group of important town officials who con elderly citizens out of their money, distribute it to charities and take a considerable percentage for themselves.

The elderly in town believe they are contributing to the betterment of the community. Kate refuses to sit idly by and teams up with her spunky publicist, Susie Jones, and former US Marshal and newly appointed Kingseat Police Chief, Reese Matthews, to exact revenge and bring down this ring of corruption. With a family feud, a suspicious trust, and a fiery sleuth, what could possibly go wrong?

Raised by her biological grandfather and step-grandmother, Kate hasn’t had what anyone would call an ordinary life. With a degree in law enforcement, she worked as a bond investigator until she became the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Using her law knowledge, she gave the U.S. Marshals a merry chase as she worked to clear her name.

Now, with two deaths tied to her, Kate is a tough nut to crack, and she isn’t about to let the evil forces at work in Kingseat get away with stealing from her grandfather. Her tenacity even causes her to punch a lawyer in court (and get away with it), and her endless costume closet presents unlimited chances to catch her prey red-handed initially in some humorous ─ and oddly satisfying ─ ways. She and Susie make a modern-day, irreverent superhero duo, righting the wrongs done by the evil, dominating force of HOGG.

Clarke delivers the second book in the Kate Anderson Mystery series with a lead character that will capture the imaginations of many. And while preying upon our seniors is a despicable act, what Kate does to right the wrongs will bring satisfaction to readers. This “beautiful little town with an underbelly of evil” hits close to home for some, and Kate’s fight for her grandfather is a fight for us all.