A Lady Never Trifles with Thieves — Suzann Ledbetter

"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.