Gilded Needles

German Black Lena was queen of The Black Triangle, Manhattan's decadent empire of opium dens, gambling casinos, drunken sailors, gaudy hookers, and back room abortions. With her daughters and grandchildren, Black Lena led a ring of consummate female criminals - women skilled in the art of cruelty.

Only a few blocks away, amidst the elegant mansions and lily-white reputations of Gramercy Park and Washington Square lived Judge James Stallworth. He was determined to crush Lena's evil crew, and with icy indifference he ordered three deaths in her family.

Then, one Sunday, all the Stallworths receive individual invitations - invitations to their own funerals. Black Lena has vowed a reign of revenge. Can even the Stallworth fortune and awesome power save them from her diabolical lust for revenge?