Steel Ashes — Karen Rose Cercone

In 1905 Pittsburgh, the burning of a run-down tenement--and the resultant deaths of two poor immigrants--barely made the evening papers. But there were two courageous figures who refused to let these murders go unsolved. One was Milo Kachigan, a detective who moved up the ranks of Pittsburgh's Irish police force by concealing his Armenian background. The other was Helen Sorby, a vibrant young political leader and tireless social worker to the city's immigrant poor. Milo and Helen suspected that the murders were linked to the victims' socialist views. But leads were scarce and the investigation was hampered by an unethical steel mill official--and an immigrant community too frightened to reveal its secrets.

Apart, Milo and Helen could barely scratch the surface of Pittsburgh's corrupt political machine; together, they fought the discrimination that threatened to forever shield a sinister cover-up... and a heartless murderer's deed.