Pinkerton detective Jennifer
Layne has a past full of identities…
But posing as a lady companion
named Amy at Miss Lillian’s Parlor House and Boots in Goodman, Kansas, is a
first for her. Amy’s current assignment has her on the trail of the notorious
Gunnysack Bandit, when one of Miss Lillian’s girls—Amy’s best hope for a
lead—meets an untimely demise.
Former Texas Ranger Tom Colton
has every reason to distrust the green-eyed beauty at Miss Lillian’s who calls
herself Amy. Determined to clear his brother’s name, he’s convinced she knows
more than she lets on, and he means to find out what it is.
As Amy’s investigation
continues, her biggest problem is Tom and his stolen kiss. The closer she gets
to tracking down the outlaw, the harder it is to keep Tom from finding out the
awful truth about his brother. The Gunnysack Bandit she can handle, but it will
take a whole lot of faith and a little help from Miss Lillian and her girls to
snag the man who stole her heart.
Petticoat Detective is the first installment
in Margaret Brownley’s Undercover Ladies
series, and is the first book I have ever read by her. Although I didn’t really
know what I was getting into when I picked this novel up, all of the books in
the series sounded super interesting, so I was more than a little hopeful that
they would be really good. While I have only been able to get around to reading
Petticoat Detective, I have to say, I
was not disappointed. This novel is WONDERFUL, with an intriguing, sweet
storyline and interesting, lovable characters, and I have to say it was
definitely worth reading!
Jennifer
(or Amy as she is known for the majority of the book) is such a strong
character! I cannot imagine going through all that she experienced in her past
and then rising up to be a female detective in that day and age, and an
extremely good one at that! With her strong faith and determination, she
attempts to solve the mystery she is sent to Goodman for, along with the murder
of one of Miss Lillian’s girls, and a strange circumstance from her past that
continues to haunt her. However, unexpected events and an unwanted attraction
to the former Texas Ranger Tom Colton threaten to throw a wrench in her plans.
Will she be able to solve the mystery before it’s too late?
Tom is
such a great character as well! As he tries to find out the truth about the
murder of his brother so that he can hopefully show his nephew that he wasn’t
that bad of a man after all, he stumbles across Amy in her own quest for
answers. He is immediately drawn to her, despite his own reluctance and his
qualms about her—undercover, though he doesn’t know it—profession. Can he join
ranks with Amy to help solve the mysteries without falling in love, or are some
things simply out of his control?
This is
such a captivating novel, and is one that has made me a forever fan of Margaret’s!
I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed attempting to solve the mysteries along
with Jennifer and Tom, and how I utterly failed at figuring out a single one of
them. Anyway, this story had just enough of both romance and intrigue to make
it well worth all five bookshelves, and I know I am looking forward to reading
more of Margaret’s work! This novel comes highly recommended by me, and be sure
I will reviewing more by Margaret in the future!
Happy
reading!
To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party
page.
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