Perfectly Good Crime

In this feel-good follow-up to the novel and Netflix film Good Sam, intrepid reporter Kate Bradley is back in a story that BuzzFeed calls “mysterious, fascinating, and inspiring.”

When burglars target the palatial estates of American billionaires in a series of high-tech heists, Kate must venture inside the world of the superrich to investigate the biggest story of the year.

But the answers don’t come easy. The Los Angeles police detective who’s helping Kate with the case has mysteriously disappeared, Kate’s senator father demands she stop investigating, and the billionaire victims refuse to talk to the media. Still, Kate uncovers clues that prove the crimes are anything but ordinary: those behind the robberies have shocking—but uplifting—motives that just may bring about powerful change.

As the heists escalate, Kate faces a momentous decision that could jeopardize her deepening relationship with fire captain Eric Hayes. Saddled with obligations to the public, her career, and her own heart, Kate must trust her instincts in a high stakes search that will test everything she believes and force her to decide where she belongs.

Praise for Perfectly Good Crime

Living Books Now Award — Gold Medal in Inspirational Fiction — “Books that are changing the world”

“One of the Best Beach Reads to Indulge in This Summer”
—Parade Magazine
“From the author of the thought-provoking Good Sam, Dete Meserve delivers a novel that is simultaneously mysterious, fascinating, and inspiring.”
—Buzzfeed
“A first rate and undaunted protagonist easily carries this brisk tale. Kate is intuitive and professional but it’s her steadfast compassion that makes her truly remarkable.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A feel-good mystery…an enjoyable escape.”
—BookLife Prize for Fiction
“Saturated with unexpected twists and shocking motives, Kate Bradley follows clues—and her heart—to discover that some crimes have powerfully good intentions.”
—Sunset Magazine

A Note from Dete

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment when the storyline for Perfectly Good Crime crystallized enough for me to begin writing. For months, ideas swirled and danced in my mind, often infiltrating my dreams. I captured them in notebooks but hadn’t yet shaped them into a coherent story. Then, after the release of Good Sam, the first novel in the Kate Bradley Mystery series, I began hearing from hundreds of readers. Like me, they were searching for good in the world. Some shared inspiring stories of real-life Good Samaritans, while others recounted their own acts of kindness for strangers. Their posts, stories, letters, and questions deeply moved me.

One reader in Michigan asked, “What will it take to bring worldwide attention to helping those who are less fortunate?” That question, along with my connections with readers, sparked a desire—an obsession, really—to write another mystery centered on the pursuit of good, with Kate Bradley and Eric Hayes leading the way. I wanted this new story to delve into the complexities of altruism, exploring how kindness and justice can intertwine in surprising, and even challenging, ways.

Ultimately, the story asks a compelling and thought-provoking question: Can a crime committed in the name of helping others ever be seen as a force for good? Through Kate’s journey, the narrative examines how far people are willing to go in pursuit of positive change—and whether the ends can ever justify the means.

I was fortunate to receive expert guidance during the writing process. Battalion Chief Larry Collins of the Los Angeles County Fire Department advised on fire department procedures, and Los Angeles Police Department Senior Lead Officer Julie Nony helped with police department details. My son, Jake, lent his expertise to the online gaming storyline, an area where my knowledge was admittedly limited.