Jasmine Frame was scared of knives when she was a policeman. Now she finds herself on the trail of a knife killer. But it's not just her skin that is in danger, her identity as a woman is under threat. Short of work, Private Investigator Jasmine Frame eagerly responds to a request to help identify a transvestite murder victim. Having done so, Jasmine is desperate to remain involved in the case despite friction with her former boss DCI Sloane. She persuades her ex-colleague DS Tom Shepherd to accompany her to Butterflies, a transgender social group to help build a picture of the victim. Following the meeting another of the members is murdered. Jasmine is asked to act as a decoy to draw the "tranny killer" to a meeting in a pub. Jasmine is torn as she has to go against her instinct as a pre-op transsexual to remain hidden. What response will she get dressed as a flamboyant drag queen? Will it be enough to draw the killer into the trap or is Jasmine just putting her own sense of identity to the test? What will be the killer's next move? Painted Ladies is a crime thriller which poses questions about gender swapping. Jasmine Frame has her own life to sort out as well as a murder to solve.