The Frightened Man

London at the birth of the 20th century, the dying days of the old queen's reign. It's a city of chaos and fevered ambition, just the place for a man who wants to be invisible. And there are two such men. One is an American, Denton, a celebrated author desperate to escape his increasingly relentless memories. The other...may not exist at all. Jack the Ripper? He hasn't been heard of for more than 15 years: He's just a creature of bad girls' bad dreams. But at least one ferrety little fellow claims to have seen him at his grisly work, and when a prostitute turns up dead, Denton can't shake the notion that the frightened man may have something to be frightened about. Denton is an irresistible character—a deeply cynical romantic with a tragic past, a wisecracking manservant, and a startling respect for women.