Under the Manhattan Bridge — Irene Marcuse

When social worker turned cabinetmaker Anita Servi uncovers the body of an unidentified teenager in the vacuum press of her husband's woodworking shop, her innate skills at deciphering human motivation are put to the test. Trying to identify the boy, she sifts for clues in the eclectic neighborhoods of lower Manhattan, an enclave of Russian baths, cafes, art galleries, colorful ethnic groups -- and drugs.

Anita manages to identify the victim: an Orthodox Jewish family's troubled son, who had turned to using and dealing Ecstasy, a modern-day plague worming its way into the fabric of the community. A second murder claims the life of a brilliant artist, and puts Anita on the trail of deadly intent that proves that even the most idyllic places are not immune to the dark side of human nature.