Dark Signal: A Kate Fox Novel

Dark Signal is the second installment in the Kate Fox series. Kate has just been elected sheriff of Grand County, beating her ex-husband for the position. Other than having been the sheriff’s wife and having had six weeks of training at the police academy, she has virtually no experience. Her first day on the job, she is called to a railroad accident that she quickly discovers is actually a murder. Although she lacks professional law experience, you don’t raise cattle and live in the Nebraska Sandhills all your life without picking up a thing or two. She might be a newbie, but don’t count her out just yet. It is hard to imagine anyone is a murderer when you’ve known them your whole life, but Kate has to put that aside to discover the murderer before anyone else is killed.

Kate Fox is like the Joanna Brady of the Midwest. She’s tougher than she looks and is a female in a predominately male position. Kate is a bit more sarcastic than Joanna, and maybe that’s why I like her a bit better. This series is not Pulitzer-Prize winning, but they are fun, short little mysteries with a likable protagonist. I enjoyed the first novel in this series as much as this one. The murder mystery part of the story is interesting, but from what I can tell, the novels are more about Kate and her character’s development than anything else. As you read, you are learning more about her as person, and she just happens to be solving crime along the way.

If you enjoy J.A. Jance’s Joanna Brady series or even just like stories with a strong female lead, I think you’ll like this set of novels by Shannon Baker. I look forward to the next book in the Kate Fox series.