Someone is killing the most alluring women of Boston. Someone whose keen eye for beauty masks a twisted mind. Someone who insinuates himself into his victims' lives and leaves them with nothing but an elegant black stocking knotted around their necks. Homicide detective Lt. Steve Markarian must stop the killer before another vulnerable woman is sacrificed--possibly even his own estranged wife. Beset with loneliness and addictions, Steve pursues leads all over greater Boston--from the haunts of blue-blooded Brahmins, to seedy strip joints, to mansions by the sea, to the halls of prestigious universities, to the offices of his own precinct--and to the recesses of his own heart, only to discover that he himself may actually be the killer. In this stunning psychological thriller, bestselling author Gary Braver explores the nature of beauty, how women may strive to achieve it, and the forbidden yearnings that kill in its name.