Irrepressible heiress and intrepid sleuth Francesca Cahill moves from her own elegant world of Fifth Avenue to the teeming underbelly of society, a place of pride, passions and sometimes deadly perversions.

Despite the misgivings of her fiance, Calder Hart, Francesca cannot ignore the threat that is terrorising the tenement neighbourhood of Lower Manhattan, where a madman has attacked three women. While the first two victims survived, the third is dead. All three were impoverished, but beautiful, Irish women and Francesca fears that Maggie and Gwen–two friends who live nearby–could be next. Soon she is working with her former love, police commissioner Rick Bragg–Calder's half brother and fierce rival. But even as Calder's jealous passions leave his relationship with Francesca teetering on the brink, she is frantically on the killer's trail, certain The Slasher will strike again–afraid she will be too late