The setting of this novel is today’s Manhattan, at the fictional Bohemia, a prestigious building on Central Park West. The principal characters are Emily Whitworth of 11C-D and Chicky Diaz, the doorman. Like Bonfire four decades ago, the story satirizes the excesses of the city’s very rich. Emily is a classy woman—educated, unselfish, stunningly beautiful—yet trapped in a marriage to a first-class skunk who happens to be extremely wealthy. She concludes the only thing she can do is carry on for the sake of her two children. Chicky is a stand-up guy whose life has fallen apart after the death of his wife and the unending bills that have left him impoverished. She appreciates his loyalty, and he is thankful that she is one of the few residents who treat the staff with genuine respect. On the night the city explodes in racial tensions and violence, the building is invaded by gun-carrying professional thieves—and one of the apartments on their hit list is 11C-D. It becomes a night of terror, but in the chaos, Emily and Chicky are able to help each other survive.
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