Widowmaker / William Appel

Two men, neither of whom had a heart condition, are found dead in hotel rooms of a digitalis overdose. Both had twenty-dollar bills folded like handkerchiefs in the lapel pockets of their jackets. Both were married, with children. While reluctant to announce it, the New York City police are brutally aware of the fact that they have a serial murderer on their hands. Evidence, slight as it is, points to a transvestite or, perhaps, a homosexual. After all, the FBI claims there are no female serial killers. Criminal psychologist Kate Berman isn’t so sure; she’s certainly not willing to ignore the possibility, even if her own husband, Josh, the former city medical examiner-turned-consultant, disagrees. Maybe, she says, some of the unsolved cases would have been closed if the officials kept an open mind. As for the killer – the Widowmaker doesn’t care what the police think or know or think they know. In the quiet of the night, the next victim is chosen…and the choice is bringing death ever closer to Kate Berman.