The hard way.

Vicki Bohanan has waited a long time for this day. She's all set to witness her bestie strut across the stage for her doctorate and escape a marriage minded mother. But celebration interruptus is only the tip of the Memorial Day iceberg when all the fun loving with a certain Ranger saddles her with something other than an alien parasite. Before she can right that sinking ship, however, tragedy strikes.

Zeke Taylor, Texas Ranger, is shot in the line of duty.

With her boss captured by the drug cartel and bodies piling up at the hospital, not to mention a killer on her carcass, Vicki must put on her big-girl panties to solve the mystery of who took down her big, strong boyfriend.

Before possible parenthood decisions become the least of her worries.

The cow patties hit the fan as Vicki's world turns upside down in book five of the Bartender Babe Chronicles, the series that readers of Janet Evanovich are calling the "Texas Stephanie Plum". Light among mystery romance and laugh-out-loud romantic comedies and long on-well as they say, everything's bigger in Texas.