A ruthless killer preys on the young women of Montana in this tale of suspense from a pioneer of Western fiction Madame Simone runs a brothel on the outskirts of Overthrust, Montana, an oil town just down the road from the ranching community of Midbury. Her business is serene, discreet, and profitable--until one of her girls is murdered.   When his other deputies fail to turn up any leads, Sheriff Chick Charleston asks his college-educated colleague Jason Beard to look into the case. Jase immediately uncovers two vital clues: a mysterious stranger who publicly threatened Laura Jane on the night she was killed and a beloved piece of jewelry missing from her personal effects. Just when Charleston and Jase begin to think they are making progress, however, a teenage girl dies under frighteningly similar circumstances.   To find the culprit, the sheriff and his deputy must be patient, cunning, and resourceful. Set against the backdrop of a land whose rugged beauty and vast open spaces attract dreamers and criminals alike, Playing Catch-Up is an engrossing detective story and a tribute to the unique adventure of small-town life in the West.