69 Barrow Street — Lawrence Block

Two innocents fall prey to a woman whose beauty bewitches -- and destroys

Ralph Lambert hates Stella nearly as much as he loves her. A painter with talent but no ambition, Ralph was adrift in his bohemian Manhattan life when the statuesque blonde stole his heart. She drew him into her lair, promising a comfortable living for as long as he keeps her satisfied. Now he suffers in silence, self-respect forgotten as the woman he cannot resist seduces every lost soul who makes the mistake of turning onto Barrow Street.

Her latest target is Susan Rivers, a slender young woman who finds herself unable to resist Stella's ferocious sexuality. But when Ralph falls for his mistress's new toy, the lovers become fighters, unleashing Stella's savage cruelty, and igniting a blood feud that could tear Greenwich Village apart.