As settlements and civilization moved West to follow the lure of mineral wealth and the trade of the Santa Fe Trail, prostitution grew and flourished within the mining camps, small towns, and cities the nineteenth-century Nevada and Utah. Whether escaping a bad home life, lured by false advertising, or seeking to subsidize their income, thousands of women chose or were forced to enter an industry where they faced segregation and persecution, fines and jailing, and battled the other hazards of their profession. Some dreamed of escape through marriage or retirement, and some became infamous and even successful, but more often found relief only in death. An integral part of western history, the stories of these women continue to fascinate readers and captivate the minds of historians today. Nevada and Utah each had their share of working girls and madams who remain notorious celebrities in the annals of history, like Kate Flint and Dora Topham, but Collins also includes the stories of lesser-known women whose roles in this illicit trade help shape our understanding of the American West.

While settlers were drawn out West by the often empty promises of the Gold Rush, prostitution grew and flourished within the mining camps, small towns, and cities of nineteenth-century California. Whether escaping a bad home life, lured by false advertising, or seeking to subsidize their income, thousands of women chose or were forced to enter an industry where they faced segregation and persecution, fines and jailing, and battled the other hazards of their profession. Some dreamed of escape through marriage or retirement, and some became infamous and even successful, but more often found relief only in death. An integral part of western history, the stories of these women continue to fascinate readers and captivate the minds of historians today. Working girls and madams like Bodie's famous Rosa May and the gambler Madame Moustache remain notorious celebrities in the annals of history, and Collins also includes the stories of lesser-known women whose roles in this illicit trade help shape our understanding of the American West.

Throughout the development of the American West, prostitution grew and flourished within the mining camps, small towns, and cities of the nineteenth-century Rocky Mountains. Whether escaping a bad home life, lured by false advertising, or seeking to subsidize their income, thousands of women chose or were forced to enter an industry where they faced segregation and persecution, fines and jailing, and battled the hazards of disease, drug addiction, physical abuse, and pregnancy. They dreamed of escape through marriage or retirement, but more often found relief only in death. An integral part of western history, the stories of these women continue to fascinate readers and captivate the minds of historians today.

L.A.’s mean streets—filled with vulnerable children. Some are stolen. Los Angeles Police Officers, Amber and Roy Buckner, want to end their marriage amicably, while diminishing the fallout of the split for their three-year-old son, Gage. But those plans get placed on hold and their lives upended when Gage goes missing. Anger and fear replace the cordial relationship they’d crafted during their separation, and bitter resentment ignites as the investigation reveals they were both culpable in their son’s disappearance. Word on the street is that a notorious pimp is selling young children to the highest bidder. Roy and Amber must delve into the depraved world of child trafficking and prostitution to have any chance of saving their son. Can they beat the clock before their son is gone forever? Authentic Crime…Arresting Stories told by an award-winning retired LAPD officer.

Collateral Damage Redemption, revenge, and a battle of wits…but who’s playing who? Nurse Amber Buckner is struggling with the fallout from her husband’s response to her unexpected pregnancy. Her distracted state prevents her from recognizing something is wrong when approached late at night by a uniformed police officer. Kidnapped, she soon realizes her abduction is no random crime. She’s the pawn in a deranged madman’s scheme of revenge. In a contest of wits, Amber convinces her captor he is the father of the child she’s carrying. While the maniac seesaws between love and hate for her, she prays her husband, an LAPD cop, will discover she’s been kidnapped and rescue her. Amber doesn’t know that her husband isn’t looking for her—no one is—the madman has seen to that. Collateral Damage is the first book in Kathy Bennett’s Buckner Thriller Trilogy. Authentic Crime…Arresting Stories told by an award-winning retired LAPD officer. Damaged Goods A cold case. A cold marriage. A cold-blooded murder. While stepping up as mom and dad to his toddler son, LAPD Officer Roy Buckner struggles with a new assignment in the Robbery-Homicide Division Cold-Case Unit. He and his female detective partner investigate a decades-old cop killing and uncover an old trail of deadly secrets—while generating secrets of their own. Roy’s wife, Amber, is newly graduated from the LAPD academy, and her probationary training leaves her with little time to be concerned about her home life—which hangs by a thread. Her first noteworthy arrest uncovers a trail of clues leading to a mystery centered on a stripper and her brother. As personal implications and consequences mount, the shocking revelations may end everyone’s career—if not their lives. Damaged Goods is the second book in Kathy Bennett’s Buckner Thriller Trilogy. Authentic Crime…Arresting Stories told by an award-winning retired LAPD officer. Damage Control L.A.’s mean streets—filled with vulnerable children. Some are stolen. Amber and Roy Buckner want to end their marriage amicably while diminishing the consequences for their three-year-old son, Gage. But those plans get placed on hold, and their lives are upended when Gage goes missing. For the two LAPD officers, anger and fear replace the cordial relationship they’d crafted during their separation. Bitter resentment ignites as the investigation reveals they were both culpable in their son’s disappearance. Word on the street reveals a notorious pimp is selling young children to the highest bidder. Roy and Amber must delve into the depraved world of child trafficking and prostitution to have any chance of saving their son. Can they beat the clock before their son is gone forever? Damage Control is the third and final book in Kathy Bennett’s Buckner Thriller Trilogy. Authentic Crime…Arresting Stories told by an award-winning retired LAPD officer.

The murder of a cop—a decade old. A stripper with a secret. A cop whose marriage hangs by a thread investigating both. What could go wrong? LAPD Officer Roy Buckner struggles with a new assignment in the Robbery-Homicide Division Cold-Case Unit, while stepping up as mom and dad to his toddler son. Roy’s wife, Amber, just graduated from the LAPD academy and her troubled probationary period leaves her with little time to be concerned about her homelife or marriage—which is hanging by a thread. As Roy and his new female partner search for clues to a cold-case cop killing, things heat up as they uncover an old trail of deadly secrets, while battling their own individual pain. Meanwhile, Amber’s first big arrest results in a whole new mystery and investigation centered around a stripper’s shame. As the decade-old case unravels, the shocking revelations may end everyone’s career—if not their lives. Damaged Goods is the second book in Kathy Bennett's, Buckner Police Procedural Thriller Trilogy. If you like authentic crime told in an arresting story, you can't go wrong reading this face-paced, riveting, drama told by an award-winning retired LAPD officer. Authentic Crime...Arresting Stories told by an award-winning LAPD officer.

As settlements and civilization moved West to follow the lure of mineral wealth and the trade of the Santa Fe Trail, prostitution grew and flourished within the mining camps, small towns, and cities of the nineteenth-century Southwest. Whether escaping a bad home life, lured by false advertising, or seeking to subsidize their income, thousands of women chose or were forced to enter an industry where they faced segregation and persecution, fines and jailing, and battled the other hazards of their profession. Some dreamed of escape through marriage or retirement, and some became infamous and even successful, but more often found relief only in death. An integral part of western history, the stories of these women continue to fascinate readers and captivate the minds of historians today. Arizona and New Mexico each had their share of working girls and madams like Sara Bowman and Dona Tules who remain notorious celebrities in the annals of history, but Collins also includes the stories of lesser-known women whose roles in this illicit trade help shape our understanding of the American West.

Includes the proceedings of the annual meeting of the Society.

This look at prostitution in Colorado, 1860-1930, uncovers the lives and woes of "working girls" in mining towns such as Cripple Creek.