From Publishers Weekly Rich in character， complex in plot， Cook's second Frank Clemons novel， after the much-praised Sacrificial Ground ， finds the former homicide detective relocated in New York. Now a private eye， Frank lives with Karen on the upper East Side， but he is falling out of love and becoming increasingly aware that his real sympathies lie with Manhattan's less-privileged citizens. That's one reason why he is drawn to the case of Hannah Karlsberg. Hannah， in her 70s， was brutally murdered (her right hand chopped off) in her apartment; her employer， a high fashion designer， hires Frank to locate Hannah's next-of-kin so the body can be released and buried. But Hannah's past is full of gaps and contradictions， and Frank is soon on a trail that begins in the Lower East Side sweatshops of the 1930s， where Hannah was a forceful strike leader for the American Garment Workers' Union. The scent then leads to a small village in Colombia， and ends in a settlement house in Brooklyn. Frank's investigation is steeped in a deep personal， lyrically evoked sorrow; talking with Hannah's old co-workers， he uncovers dark deeds and omissions that resonate with his own growing sense of isolation and betrayal. Cook constructs a many-layered and shimmering tale in which the history， locale and personality build to an unsuspected， satisfying end. BOMC alternate; Detective Book Club and Mysterious Book Club main selections. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information， Inc. From Library Journal Former policeman Frank Clemons， a private investigator， is hired by famous dress designer Imalia Covallo to find a relative of her slain employee so the police will release the body for burial. Frank reconstructs the dead woman's past: a garment worker and union activist， she mysteriously left for South America only to reappear in New York as the unknowing sidekick of a drug runner; she was a diligent assistant to Covallo. Frank experiences a deeply felt empathy for the woman and ends by discovering her murderer. Strong prose and steel-etched characters complete an enticing puzzle. Detective Book Club main selection. REKCopyright 1989 Reed Business Information， Inc.