Hold onto your corset! Julia Thom, amateur sleuth, just rode into town. Though the 20th century is just a few years away, Julia Thom has been denied her dream of attending law school. Frustrated and feeling betrayed by those closest to her, who see her gender as a liability, Julia has started her life over as a school teacher in a tiny Canadian frontier town that has great aspirations to soon be the official middle of nowhere. When Julia’s eldest and brightest pupil, Fergus, is accused of a crime he couldn’t have committed, his chances for a higher education are dashed. Julia refuses to see Fergus’ future destroyed and makes it her mission to clear his name. Local police constable Jack Merrick has his hands full with this woman whose brain loves having a puzzle to solve, and whose sense of justice won’t allow her to leave well enough alone. As Julia gets close to solving the crime, an unexpected threat comes from Fergus’ father, who believes school is for sissies, and whose fists so often do the talking for him. From award-winning author Alexandra Amor comes a unique short mystery, rich in character and setting, that harkens back to a time when men were men and women were just as they are in the present day: smart, resilient and strong-willed.

Would you risk your life simply to be yourself? When reclusive watchmaker James Hunter is beaten, but has no memory of the event, schoolteacher Julia Thom vows to find the culprits. Even if Hunter hadn’t saved Julia herself from being assaulted, she would still be on the case; meddling helps keep her focus off her own complicated life.