The victim was young, lovely and seduced by the wrong man...

Mere hours before her wedding, the fiancee of real estate mogul JP Stratton is found strangled in her penthouse. New Orleans homicide dectective Charlotte "Charlie" Le Blanc views the crime scene, finding a black silk stocking draped casually beside the body - a chilling calling card from the killer.

The dramatic clue leads Charlie to a world of privilege and wealth, and before long she singles out a suspect whose identify creates a furor in the city: Cole Stratton, JP's estranged son.