Guest: Karen Dahood

Angelica is excited to welcome Karen Dahood to the show today. Karen Dahood is a septuagenarian whose non-fiction writing career has included the arts and humanities and some health care. As she witnessed older friends and family members struggle to keep their dignity in a culture of ageism and denial, elder issues became more important to her. She now infuses these issues into the web of her mysteries. Her newest book, Sophie Redesigned, falls into the emerging genre of elder sleuths, which includes characters like Gladdy Gold created by Rita Lakin, Gertie Johnson created by Deb Baker, and of course, Hetty Wainthropp from the BBS series, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, based on David Cook's novel, Missing Persons.
Sophie Redesigned (Outskirts Press) is the first in the Sophie and Sam mystery series. Sophie George is a spunky librarian, research whiz, and senior citizen who often does Internet research for Dorado Bay police detective, Captain Rueben Samuels (a.k.a. “Sam”), who navigates the world of crime much better than he does the Internet. When a murder occurs in Sophie’s neighborhood, Sophie convinces Sam to hire her as a freelance researcher on the case. He does so reluctantly. Together, Sam and Sophie uncover facts that lead them to a nefarious corporation and religious cult linked to one dysfunctional family. Along the way, Sophie contends with her adult son, who questions the sleuthing activities of a mother near retirement, and her own growing feelings toward Sam.
Karen Dahood’s website is www.moxiecosmos.com.