Mask of Words — Jan Roffman

Five of the people involved in the murder of a pretty stranger with dubious morals had been childhood friends, a cynical millionaire, a beautiful girl with a broken heart, a young wife with a tragic secret, a successful photographer home for a visit -- and Detective Sgt. Ratlin, a poor boy who made good, and who has a long-standing debt to settle with them.

Ratlin's smoldering resentment competes with his sense of justice, until, in a stunning climax, fate rips the mask from the face of one of them, exposing the raw passion of a killer.

Also published as: A Penny for the Guy