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To Catch a Thief
Series · 3 books · 2006-2008

Books in series

Reluctant Burglar book cover
#1

Reluctant Burglar

2006

Surrounded by no good options, much less safe ones, Desiree Jacobs knows that no matter what she must protect her father's reputation and his legacy. If Desiree Jacobs knows anything, it’s art. Her father, whose security company is internationally renowned, taught her everything he knew. Most of all, he taught her about honor. Integrity. Faith. So surely God will forgive her for despising the one man—Special Agent Tony Lucano, who's determined to destroy her father’s good name? Agent Lucano knows that Hiram Jacobs is an art thief. But what he can’t figure out is Desiree. Is she an innocent victim…or a clever accomplice? When Hiram is murdered, along with his company, he leaves Desiree a hidden container full of stolen paintings. But she can’t believe that her father was a thief! If it were true, it would destroy their business, cost people their jobs, and embarrass international museums that have been displaying clever forgeries. No, she must figure out why her honest father would turn criminal herself. Even if it means facing down a ring of cutthroat art thieves…or accepting help from the man she most distrusts. With danger at every turn, can Desiree trust God to guide her down the right path?
Reluctant Runaway book cover
#2

Reluctant Runaway

2007

Museum security expert Desiree Jacobs is back in this sequel to Reluctant Burglar, and only she can unearth the horrifying secret that links together stolen Indian artifacts, a murdered museum guard, a missing woman, and a baby in danger. Desiree "Desi" Jacobs doesn’t mean to get in danger’s path. Really she doesn’t. But when a friend is in trouble you don’t just walk away, no matter what your overprotective FBI agent boyfriend says. So when Desi and Tony’s date at a presidential ball is interrupted by a frantic Maxine Webb, Desi doesn’t hesitate to jump in. Soon Desi is neck-deep in a confusing array of villains. Did Maxine’s niece run away or was she taken? Is she still alive or the victim of a perverse ritual? And who wants her infant son—and why? Then Tony’s organized crime case collides with Desi’s investigation, throwing them both into the path of something dark and sinister. Something that craves blood. From the streets of Desi’s beloved Boston to the mountain desert of New Mexico, Desi and Tony must rely on God to thwart unseen forces and save a young woman and her baby from a villain more evil than any of them can imagine.
Reluctant Smuggler book cover
#3

Reluctant Smuggler

2008

They say keep your friends close and your enemies closer…but what if you can’t tell the difference? For security consultant Desiree Jacobs, the assignment was make off with an ancient Mayan artifact and hand it over to the good guys in time to plan her wedding to ultra-fine FBI agent Tony Lucano. Yet, in a world where no one is as they seem, Desi must decipher who the good guys are–before she ends up in the hands of a ruthless enemy. Suddenly, artifact recovery turns into archaeological espionage, and the woman who finds all the answers must now ask Who’s looting priceless antiquities underneath the nose of the baffled Mexican government? And what does a violent gang of drug and human traffickers have to do with missing artifacts? Even with Tony on her side, Desi will need way more than luck to survive against the odds. She’ll need the truth–not just to set her free, but to liberate many innocents caught in the snare of calculating evil.

Author

Jill Elizabeth Nelson
Author · 21 books
Jill Elizabeth Nelson writes what she likes to read—tales of adventure seasoned with romance, humor, and faith, earning her the tagline: Endless Adventure, Timeless Truth. Jill speaks regularly at conferences, writer’s groups, library associations, and civic and church groups. When teaching classes for writers, she thrills to bring the Ahah! moment to her students as they make a new skill their own. Jill and her husband live in rural Minnesota where they raised four children.
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To Catch a Thief