Fallen Women
A Novel
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- $21.99
Publisher Description
From the ballrooms and mansions of Denver's newly wealthy, to the seamy life of desperate women, Fallen Women illuminates the darkest places of the human heart.
It is the spring of 1885 and wealthy New York socialite Beret Osmundsen has been estranged from her younger sister, Lillie, for a year when she gets word from her aunt and uncle that Lillie has died suddenly in Denver. What they do not tell her is that Lillie had become a prostitute and was brutally murdered in the brothel where she had been living. When Beret discovers the sordid truth of Lillie's death, she makes her way to Denver, determined to find her sister's murderer. Detective Mick McCauley may not want her involved in the case, but Beret is determined, and the investigation soon takes her from the dangerous, seedy underworld of Denver's tenderloin to the highest levels of Denver society. Along the way, Beret not only learns the depths of Lillie's depravity, but also exposes the sinister side of Gilded Age ambition in the process.
Sandra Dallas once again delivers a page-turner filled with mystery, intrigue, and the kind of intricate detail that truly transports you to another time and place.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Dallas (True Sisters) memorably evokes the raw, rough-edged Denver of 1885 in this blend of suspenseful mystery and nuanced romance. Wealthy Manhattan mission worker Beret Osmundsen breaks off ties with her willful younger sister, Lillie, after she discovers that Lillie has betrayed her trust. When Lillie, now a prostitute in one of Denver's brothels, is found stabbed to death, the guilt-stricken Beret travels west. Beret's socially prominent aunt and uncle provide a home for her in the city, where she teams with Det. Sgt. Michael "Mick" McCauley, who, like Beret, is a child of privilege pursuing an unconventional profession. After they discover that Lillie was pregnant, a second murder forces their investigation uncomfortably close to people each loves dearly. The author's depiction of 19th-century Denver, especially its seedier side, is vividly authentic, while the nascent bond between Mick and Beret will have readers eagerly anticipating their next encounter.
