Deadly Caress — Brenda Joyce

The year is 1902. The place is New York City. A famous stage actress has been found strangled in an artist's studio, and the artist herself has vanished. Francesca Cahill, the city's most unconventional heiress and famous amateur sleuth, is once age on the case for the murder victim is none other than her brother's mistress. And when the sole witness to the crime is also found strangled and only one clue is left behind -- a silk stocking -- it becomes evident that a madman is on the loose.

Now more than ever, Francesca is determined to find the City Strangler and bring him to justice. But the trail is a twisted one, and she'll need the help of handsome, dynamic Police Commissioner Rick Bragg -- even though she must attempt to end their star-crossed romantic liaison. But now, she also finds herself fending off the advances of his notorious rival, his powerful half-brother, Calder Hart. Ruthlessly pursued by Hart, hopelessly enamored with Bragg, Francesca races against the clock before the City Strangler strikes again, never realizing the consequences that will come when danger and desire become one...