This is a series that does not absolutely need to be read in order, but that is mostly because a lot of the history is repeated throughout the series. Goodreads informed me that I had not read this, and while I have been cataloguing my reading a long time, it doesn't go back to when this is published, but in the interest of going back to the beginning with my favored series, I got this out, and while I had the sense I might have read it, it turns out most of the details in this are repeated, because in the end I decided I had not. This is the origin story of how Joanna Brady became the sheriff in Bisbee, Arizona. I like how the author links her series up at times, and I just read the first JP Beaumont book, which is set in Seattle but establishes a Bisbee link. This is my favorite of the 3 (or 4, depending on how you look at it) that this writer writes and it is a solid beginning.

Women Can Be Fierce...

An amazing read! I loved it and the main character, Joanna Brady. My first book by this author and I will definitely be reading more of her books.

First book in the Sheriff Joanna Brady series - recommend reading them in order. Takes place in Bisbee, AZ. in places I am personally familiar with so both my husband and I loved it. The 2nd one is Tombstone Courage. In this one, Joanna is not the sheriff yet, but her husband is a deputy sheriff who is running for the big job against the current sheriff who has been in office a long time. Circumstances (which this book is about) prevent him from getting elected, so I won't spoil this for you by telling you what happens, but it involves good and dirty cops, murder, drugs, and more. The characters are good and believable and you will want to go on and read book 2 - where Joanna is elected the Sheriff. There are many more in this older series and re-releases of it are coming out at the end of June 2009 in paperback. Recommended.

It's just that sometimes the best man for a job is a woman.