Book excerpt: Insurance adjusters meet clients on the worst days of their lives, and they must be diplomatic, tactful, and ethical. The job is not only about returning phone calls and doing paperwork. Whether the case involves cargo damage, residential and business property damage, fire, fraud, burglary, or arson, its the job of the adjuster to get to the bottom of things. Author Jonathan L. Scott has spent more than thirty years as an adjuster. In a series of short stories, loosely based on actual insurance claims, he recalls navigating the human dimension of balancing a clients circumstances with policy requirements and the lawand its never easy. All adjusters investigate, evaluate, and settle claims, but the best ones are worth their weight in gold several times over. The bad ones, however, can cause huge problems for the public and their employers. If youve ever been curious about the work of an insurance adjuster, read on and find out how each claim becomes its own little adventure.