Title:  Plague of Thieves Affair

Author:   Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini

Sabina Carpenter and John Quincannon are no strangers to mysteries.  In the five years since they opened Carpenter and Quincannon, Professional Detective Services, they have solved dozens, but one has eluded even them.  Sherlock Holmes or, rather, the madman claiming his identity, who keeps showing up with a frustrating (though admittedly useful) knack for solving difficult cases.

Thankfully, Sabina’s latest assignment appears to be a simple one.  The traveling exhibition Reticules Through the Ages is in need of security for their showcase of priceless handbags, including one carried by Marie Antoinette herself.  But what should be a routine job turns  sinister when a bag is stolen from underneath Sabina’s nose and the man who warned her it might happen was none other than Sherlock Holmes.

John, meanwhile has been hired by the owner of the Golden State brewery to investigate the “accidental” death of the head brewmaster, who drowned in a vat of his own beer.  When a second murder occurs and the murderer escapes, John finds himself on the trail of not only the criminals but also that of his reputation for catching them.

To complicate matters, Roland W. Fairchild, recently arrived from Chicago, needs to find his missing cousin, Charles, whose father has just died.  Charles stands to inherit an estate worth more than three million dollars–if Carpenter and Qincannon can find him.  they reluctantly agree to take the case–and the handsome fee that comes with it.

Plagued by thieves, murderers, and missing persons, Carpenter and Quincannon will need all their wits and wiles to solve their cases–and save their standing as San Francisco’s premier detective agency.