Kinsey Millhone Mysteries: J is for Judgment

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Wendell Jaffe has been presumed dead for five years, but when his former insurance agent spots him in a bar between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz, everything changes. The investigation into Jaffe's past reveals a tangled web of deceit, linking it to the investigator's own history. Five years earlier, Jaffe's thirty-five-foot ketch was found adrift, and a note indicated he was financially ruined, facing bankruptcy and criminal charges. Authorities discovered he had stripped his assets before disappearing. Despite his apparent demise, Jaffe had a $500,000 life insurance policy for his wife, Dana, but without a body, the insurance company was reluctant to pay out. After waiting the statutory five years, California Fidelity finally settled the claim just two months before Jaffe's sighting, prompting them to hire Kinsey Millhone to uncover the truth. As Kinsey delves into Jaffe's mysterious disappearance, she confronts her own past, revealing that judgments made in both family and crime can lead to regret. This tale explores the complexities of deception and the nature of truth, as Kinsey navigates the dark corners of human motives and relationships.