Monday, December 14, 2015

Petticoat Detective by Margaret Brownley

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.

All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Margaret Brownley and Shiloh Run Press.

No comments:

Post a Comment