The Good Stranger

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.

Praise for The Good Stranger

Living Books Now Award — Gold Medal in Inspirational Fiction — “Books that are changing the world”
“You forget how much you’ve missed a truly uplifting novel until you read one. Dete Meserve has written a well-crafted and genuinely heartwarming story about the good to be found in humanity if we can open ourselves up to it, and possibly even return it. I devoured it.”
—Amazon Charts Bestselling Author Carol Mason
“As refreshing as it is uplifting, The Good Stranger takes us on another thrill ride in the Kate Bradley series. Dete Meserve constructs a mystery bound in good deeds and reminds us of how we are all connected. In today’s twenty-four-hour cycle of doom and gloom, this novel is a much-needed respite, and we enjoyed every last word.”
—Bestselling Authors Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
“Dete Meserve’s warm-hearted mystery, The Good Stranger, captures the kindness of strangers and its long-lasting ripple effect. A timely story of compassion and selflessness, Meserve restores faith in the world while reminding us that goodness does exist.”
—USA Today Bestselling Author Rochelle B. Weinstein
“Dete Meserve’s new novel is an absolute triumph! The Good Stranger is an adventure through the beautiful, the seedy, and the incomparable streets of New York. Meserve is a master storyteller, and this latest release solidifies her as one of the most needed authors of our time. Warning: May compel you to go out and do good.”
—Bestselling Author Heather Burch
“Once again, Dete Meserve delivers a compelling story with an uplifting message. Her latest, The Good Stranger, is the story of news reporter Kate Bradley as she works to uncover the origin of a wave of seemingly random gifts left throughout the city of New York. This novel is the perfect illustration of how even the smallest acts of kindness can transform lives in powerful ways. A must read!”
—Bestselling Author Karen McQuestion
“There has never been a better time for a book like this. Even as we mouth virtues of kindness and generosity, the news is filled with more division and strife than ever. That’s why a story that illuminates good deeds—especially on behalf of strangers—is the ideal remedy for today’s headlines. In her third book of the Kate Bradley series (though easily a standalone), Meserve expands her hallmark mission of putting goodness in the world, but adds a fresh take, and an even deeper one: what happens when four mysterious people spread goodness around New York City with no apparent motive? Meserve’s take on the mystery genre is both uplifting and compelling and not to be missed.”
—Bestselling Author Camille Di Maio
The Good Stranger is a heartwarming joyride that will remind you about all the good out there. I tore right through it. The world needs more Dete Meserves.”
—Bestselling Author Boo Walker
“Fast-paced, cleverly written, and heartwarming in its optimism, this is the ultimate feel-good novel.”
—Readers’ Favorite

A Note from Dete

“Kate never does find a Good Samaritan,” he was saying. I was interviewing directors for the motion picture version of Good Sam (a Netflix Original film), the first in the Kate Bradley Mystery series, and his comment was a part of his proposed approach to the film. I wondered what he meant. Of course Kate finds good people, I thought.

His observation stayed with me for many weeks, and I began to realize its meaning. Without giving away any spoilers, in the first two books in the series, Kate investigates people doing good things for others, and both times she learns the reasons why they chose specific people to help.

I began to think about the concept of a Good Samaritan. Perhaps he/she is someone who helps complete strangers, without knowing who they are or judging their needs or their worthiness. Do people like that truly exist, or is the Good Samaritan a superhero fantasy?

I wondered: Is it possible that we all have a little of this Good Samaritan superpower within us, waiting for the right experience to spark it into action?

That question became the catalyst for The Good Stranger.

While I was developing the idea, I was on set producing and writing the screenplay for Good Sam in Montreal, and although the days were long, the ideas floated in. The story swirled around me as, week after week, everyone around me spoke about Kate Bradley, Eric Hayes, and Jack Hansen as though they were real people, and each day brought discussions about Kate’s wardrobe or what the newsroom looked like.

We were fortunate to cast Tiya Sircar (The Good Place) as Kate Bradley, and when I heard her speak in the first read through of the script, I had an almost out-of-body experience. Tiya so embodied Kate’s fearlessness, with the perfect balance of curiosity and vulnerability, that it felt as if I’d suddenly and irrevocably fallen into the world of Kate Bradley and that everything I’d once imagined had become real.

At one point during filming, the film’s director asked if I would read Kate Bradley’s father’s lines in a scene. The real actor’s voice would be inserted later, but this would allow Tiya to act with someone saying her dad’s lines on the other end of a phone call. As Tiya/Kate spoke to me on the phone, I was overcome with emotion: I’m actually talking to Kate Bradley. She is real.

That brought up many questions for me. If Kate Bradley is real, then what is she wrestling with? Who is she trying to become? What is she trying to figure out?

That’s when Kate’s journey began to take shape, and The Good Stranger emerged.