Stripped Bare and Dark Signal by Shannon Baker

Stripped Bare
by Shannon Baker

When the libraries’ Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group read and discussed the second book in the Kate Fox series, Dark Signal, at our July meeting, I found that I had enjoyed that entry enough (one of my “Rated 10” books for 2018), that I wanted to go back and read the first book in the series, Stripped Bare.

Set in the Nebraska Sandhills, where author Shannon Baker had lived for a big chunk of her life, Stripped Bare‘s sleuth is Kate Fox, the ranching wife of the Grand County Sheriff, Ted Fox. When Ted is shot at the home of one of the county’s wealthiest residents, investigating the shooting death of that man, Kate finds herself drawn into the investigation, first to help prove her husband’s innocence in the killing, then to eliminating suspicion against her niece (who she’s been raising like a daughter). When her incapacitated husband is revealed to have been unfaithful, Kate’s investigation becomes even more personal.

This is a fast-paced read, with lots of terrific characters — Kate has a huge extended family, and they’re all meddling in her life. Kate is a very sympathetic narrator, and the author does a marvelous job of capturing the setting of the Sandhills very effectively. The wide open spaces becomes an important “character” in the novel. I absolutely loved Dark Signal, which was more of a rural police procedural, but felt like I was missing some of the details in Kate’s background. Reading Stripped Bare, which feels much more like an “amateur detective” story, definitely fills in those gaps. I highly recommend both volumes! I’d give Stripped Bare a “9” and Dark Signal a “10”. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Craig Johnson’s Longmire series of novels.
 

[ publisher’s official Stripped Bare web page ] | [ official Shannon Baker web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

Reminder: Don't miss the August 2018 Just Desserts meeting, tomorrow, Thursday, August 30th, at the South Branch Library (27th & South St.), from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. We'll be discussing James Grippando's novel Most Dangerous Place.

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