Murder will speak - Penny Richards

As one of a handful of female operatives employed by legendary crime fighter Allan Pinkerton, Lilly draws on her theatrical training to go undercover in situations inaccessible to male detectives--much to the discomfort of her partner, Cade McShane. Their latest case takes them to the rough and rowdy bordellos that line Hell's Half Acre in Fort Worth, Texas--truly the Wild West. By virtue of her gender, only Lilly can infiltrate the disreputable dens of iniquity that trade in flesh and cater to vices that would make even a Pinkerton blush. This time the case is deeply personal. Lilly's friend, Nora Nash, who traveled to Fort Worth as a mail-order bride, has instead been forced into prostitution. After a desperate call for help, Nora has gone missing. To find her, Lilly must revamp herself as a vamp and expose a seamy underworld of unspeakable secrets where anything goes. But she and Cade soon discover firsthand that lives are cheap in Hell's Half Acre--including their own . . .