Silent Partners — Robert H. Miller

Noted Italian fashion designer Giorgio Donati is gunned down in front of his Greenwich Village town house in a professional style hit amid rumors of the designer's connection to the Mafia. New York City Detective Frank Egan, assigned to investigate the murder, quickly identifies several individuals with strong motives to see the designer dead: his sister, Francesca, and several trusted employees of Donati's company. Only the designer's brother, Fabio, appears above suspicion. Working outside formal boundaries with Greg Harris, an FBI agent noted for his break-up of the Gianelli Family's criminal empire years earlier, Frank learns of a Mafia connection in the initial financing of the Donati business, which might still exist. It is only after the discovery of similar style murders in Los Angeles and another in New York that the puzzle becomes clearer. As the drama unfolds against the background of the fashion business, the intrigues of its participants, and the Mafia's use of this industry to launder its ill-gotten gains, evidence of guilt becomes apparent. But as the exciting conclusion demonstrates, appearances can be deceiving.