Rookie PI Cassidy James is hired to find a murdered man's killer in a quiet Oregon lakeside resort -- but the town's sexist police sergeant doesn't care to have an uppity lesbian gumshoe on the case. He's keen to arrest the victim's beautiful niece, who has Cassidy head over heels in love -- and in danger. This series, with its tough, tender, appealing heroine and realistic love scenes, is a fresh and welcome alternative to "straight" mystery fiction.