A Lady Never Trifles with Thieves
-
- $11.99
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
Suzann Ledbetter brings her unparalleled storytelling talents to a new mystery series in which one engaging heroine sets out to tame the Wild West with a woman's touch...
"The simple truth is, I was born clever...." So says spirited young Denver City detective Joby (Josephine Beckworth) Sawyer -- and she isn't bragging. With a whip-sharp mind, self-taught expertise in biology, herbology, chemistry, criminality, and legal action, Joby can pretty much get her man. But there's one still hanging on the line: her devoted policeman beau, Jack O'Shaughnessy. In Joby's line of work, murder and mayhem come before matrimony. And with two new cases to crack, her wedding gown can wait.
For now Joby has to get the goods on a no-good abusive husband so a wealthy wife can get out with her fortune and her features intact. Then, a high-class jewel thief goes from larceny to murder as a woman is found strangled with her pearl necklace. Against Jack's wishes, Joby takes a crack at the case with the help of her mentor, Won Li. Determined to prove she's as good an investigator as any man, Joby must use both her brains and her beauty to catch a thief -- before he kills again.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The first book in Ledbetter's (West of Bliss, etc.) new historical mystery series, set in 1870s Denver, explodes into action when young detective/self-proclaimed "scientist" Josephine Beckworth Sawyer blows up her tool shed with homemade nitroglycerine. Blowing things up is only Joby's hobby; she pays the bills by manning her dead father's investigative firm. But since no one will hire a female detective, she pretends he's still alive. The intrepid private eye longs for something other than marital dispute cases, and she gets her wish when she's hired to track down a robber who may also be a murderer. Joby's Confucius-spouting Chinese guardian adds a touch of comic relief, and her overprotective constable "friend" provides the promise of romance. While a hurried, unresolved ending may leave some feeling cheated, others will be appeased by the author's luxuriant descriptions of herbal teas and poisons (recipes included). In the modern mystery genre there are far more spine-chilling thrillers than heartwarming cozies, but, with its witty wordplay and lovably eccentric characters, this slim, sprightly tale beckons readers to curl up in bed, not hide under it.