A beautiful and talented ballerina rises through the ranks to stardom as prima ballerina only to find herself struggling to maintain her status, grappling with tempestuous choreographers, ambitious agents, and other dancers.

In this classic thriller, bestselling author Edward Stewart weaves a complex tale of sex, money, and murderIn a private suite at a New York hospital, Beatrice “Babe” Vanderwalk Devens awakens from a seven-year coma. The socialite and fashion designer is stunned to learn that her husband, Scottie, was brought to trial twice—and acquitted—for her attempted murder.Across town, the naked, mutilated body of a young man wearing a black leather bondage mask is found in an empty apartment in the Beaux Arts Tower, high atop the Museum of Modern Art. Seven miles away, off-duty NYPD lieutenant Vince Cardozo is relaxing on a Brooklyn beach with his twelve-year-old daughter when he gets the call.Cardozo’s investigation into the savage murder of the Beaux Arts John Doe takes him into the exclusive lairs of Manhattan’s elite. Babe Devens is part of that world. When Cardozo uncovers a shocking connection between the two cases, it could topple more than just high society.A Book-of-the-Month-Club featured selection.From Publishers WeeklyHeiress Beatrice "Babe" Vanderwalk Devens wakes one morning to find herself, not in her own bed at home with her pillow from Altman's, but in a hospital room. More confusing, it is not the next morning, but seven years and seven months later: Babe has been in a coma. Meanwhile, in an exclusive new building high atop the Museum of Modern Art, the real-estate agent showing an apartment to a prospective buyer discovers the bound and mutilated body of a handsome young man. Attractive widower Vince Cardozo, the detective investigating the grisly murder, also pays a hospital visit to Babe. Since her ex-husband had admitted attempting to kill her with an insulin overdose, the police have an interest in whether she regains consciousnessor dies. Cardozo is taken by Babe, a charming woman quite unspoiled by her wealth and social position. But more terrible events are in store for her, as the two separate strands of Cardozo's investigations eventually become unpleasantly entangled. What might seem farfetched to some will be familiar territory to readers of New York tabloids. Deftly using notorious scandals and murders, Stewart creates an immensely readable portrait of the privileged lives of his cafe-society cast of characters, most of whom are riddled with greed and corruption. His spellbinding, witty thriller does a first-rate job of showing that truth is stranger than fiction. 150,000 first printing; BOMC main selection. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal$18.95. f Babe Vanderwalk Devens, beautiful blonde heiress, awakens from a seven-year coma to learn that her adored husband was twice tried and finally acquitted of attempting to murder her by administering insulin. (Known parallels to the Von Bulow case end here.) Across town, in a luxury condo, the mutilated corpse of a young man wearing only a black leather mask with slits for eyes and zipper for mouth is discovered. What is the link between these two events? Parts of this book are completely compelling. Unfortunately, what promises to be a thrilling denouement turns out to be a mishmash of perversion for kicks. BOMC featured selection. Patricia Y. Morton, State Lib. of Pennsylvania, HarrisburgCopyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

NYPD homicide cop Vince Cardozo must unmask a cunning killer in bestselling author Edward Stewart’s powerhouse tale of crime and punishment When it comes to the dark side of humanity, Vince Cardozo has already seen plenty. But his encounter with cult leader Corey Lyle will challenge even Cardozo. Lyle stands accused of a brutal terrorist bombing and the murder of a Manhattan power couple. His trial transfixes the city—but nothing about the case is what it seems. While the prosecution and defense duel, an explosive secret lurks in the jury box: One juror is not the person she claims to be. Now Cardozo must race against the clock to prevent a terrible miscarriage of justice . . . and save a woman from a cold-blooded killer. In Jury Double, master storyteller Edward Stewart unleashes his most engaging thriller yet—an irresistible tale of deception, passion, and justice. NYPD detective Vince Cardoza is back--on a major double-murder case with an unforgettable twist. One of the jurors is not who she seems to be . . . and the outcome of the entire trial, along with the fate of several lives, will depend on the Jury Double. National media. Original.

Murder and religion collide in this compulsively readable police procedural by the bestselling author of Privileged Lives and *Deadly Rich*Suffer the children . . .The first body is found in a hamper in the woods. Her feet were tied with a leather belt. There are traces of incense on her dismembered body, candle wax on her skin, and strange crumbs on her lips.As more butchered adolescent corpses turn up—the victims of a serial killer whose signature is the communion wafer left in each one’s mouth—the evidence leads NYPD lieutenant Vince Cardozo into the sacred and moneyed world of Manhattan’s exclusive parishes. Desperate to find the monster who preys on vulnerable runaways, Cardozo uncovers a conspiracy that reaches to the city’s highest levels of power.From Publishers WeeklyMidway through Stewart's compelling novel about the squalid side of religion, a wearied Episcopal cardinal asks, "What happened to the days when priests were content to sit in the rectory and drink themselves silly?" Well he might wonder, as the dismembered bodies of street kids are turning up around New York City, buried in hampers with traces of communion wafers lodged in their mouths. An elderly, beloved priest from a moneyed parish seems a prime suspect, much to the dismay of his (also suspect) associate--a female priest of the same parish. Enter Stewart's handsomely tousled police detective Cardozo and his savvy sidekick Ellie Siegel, who turn over assorted rocks to uncover a gaggle of fascinating characters both sad and seamy, finding that even coverups have coverups and that churchgoing is hardly what it used to be. Stewart, who probed the underbelly of N.Y.C. society in Privileged Lives and Deadly Rich (earlier victories for the Cardozo/Siegel team), strips away pious clerical veneers and brutally lays bare their sins. His hero remains an engagingly human figure, cracking wise just often enough to amuse but not irritate; the byplay with his teenage daughter continues to charm. Lurid details here might bother the squeamish, but they'd be missing a nifty read if they let that deter them. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalStewart (Deadly Rich, Dell, 1992) has written a large-scale police procedural/thriller, the third in the Cardozo series. It delves into the netherworld of sexually based crimes practiced by members of the priesthood and kept undercover through the collusion of the religious hierarchy as well as the police and press. Lt. Vince Cardozo, NYPD, is the driving force behind the initial investigation of a seemingly isolated incident. As layer upon layer of past crimes, convoluted relationships, and sexual proclivities of priests throughout New York City are brought to light through the investigative activities of Cardozo and company, the reader is shown the seamy underside of the Catholic Church. The novel keeps the reader enthralled, though the level of detail can be annoying. Overall, this is an interesting and absorbing puzzle that is worth the effort to finish even if it involves some wholesale page skipping. Recommended for larger public libraries with a strong mystery/thriller collection.Erna Chamberlain, SUNY at BinghamtonCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Homicide cop Vince Cardozo returns in another unstoppable thriller by the bestselling author of *Privileged Lives*For alcoholic former actress Leigh Baker, the moment will always be suspended in time: seeing her daughter plunge to her death from the terrace of a sixth-floor apartment. Months later, the man responsible is convicted by a jury of his peers. Four years after that, he is out on parole. And one by one, those whose testimony helped put James Delancey away meet violent ends.Manhattan doyenne Oona Aldridge is the first. She is found in the dressing room of a trendy Manhattan boutique, her throat slashed. As more grisly murders follow, NYPD cop Vince Cardozo assembles a task force to stop the serial killer dubbed the “Society Son of Sam.”Is Delancey himself the culprit? With the city in a panic and Cardozo’s attraction to Leigh threatening to undermine the investigation, he follows a twisting trail that exposes the sins and excesses of the rich and infamous . . . and a vendetta more chilling than anyone can imagine.From Publishers WeeklyIn Stewart's ( Privileged Lives ) latest, back-stabbing Manhattan socialites face the less metaphorical blade of serial killer "Society Sam." Actress and four-year AA veteran Leigh Baker, who went on the wagon after Jim Delancey was tried and convicted of murdering her daughter, is horrified to learn that Delancey has been paroled and works in a posh restaurant. Leigh blames him, despite his alibis, for the boutique-dressing-room murder of her obnoxious pal Oona Aldrich as well as the related slashings of several others in her uppity circle. As the elite hire bodyguards, keep to their busy party circuit and dress to impress at memorial services for the fallen, detective Lt. Vincent Cardozo and a special task force track a muscular, sweatclothes-clad suspect. The main character here is the flashy lifestyle; human players are suitably pretentious but otherwise loosely articulated. Readers may guess the perpetrator through hunches alone, but the true motives behind the slayings emerge only during a swift and clumsy wrap-up that leaves some loose ends. Nevertheless, this is a tasty, gossipy, suspenseful read filled with veiled references to New York hot spots. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus ReviewsSomeone is slashing the throats of New York's rich but worthless society figures, and no matter how amusing serial murder might be, it's got to stop. Detective Vincent Cardozo, who appeared in Stewart's Privileged Lives (1988), is in charge of clearing things up. Semidisguised figures along the lines of Liz Smith, Geraldine Ferraro, and Sister Parish are the primary attractions in this cheerfully gory, high-rent Manhattan thriller that begins with the sidewalk-cracking death of the daughter of beautiful alcoholic actress Leigh Baker. Within a couple of years, Jim Delancey, the young man convicted of the murder, is out on parole, and some of Leigh's swell chums who helped seal Delancey's case have died exceptionally grisly deaths. Police Detective Cardozo, a widower, heads the task force assembled to put a stop to the murders. Along the way, many, many loud and obstructive New Yorkers will clog the path to a solution, among them: a rotten Italian-American lady senator; her drug-connected son; a cowboy-booted gossip-columnist; a sexually inventive fashion designer; a British lady magazine editor; Jim Delancey's fanatically protective mother; a crooked cop from Internal Affairs; and countless drones and walkers. Cardozo, sweet on Miss Baker from first sight, leads his troops through the blood, trash, and drugs with patience and persistence. Tension and a perfectly serviceable plot take a back seat to name-dropping, celebrity-guessing, and the fun of seeing the too- rich get theirs. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From on-stage at the Metropolitan Opera House to on board the yacht of a Greek tycoon, this story is set in the world of the rich and famous.