title: A Letter for Randal
author: Strycharz, Nicole
description: ~*~ Fall 1881 ~*~ Lieutenant Randal Dexter has been on the hunt for a Rapist plaguing one curious block in Washington D.C. for years now. The deviant known as 'The Lady's Shadow' has been avoiding arrest and taunting Randal. The victims are too destroyed by the permanent damage done to their lives to be of aid in his investigations. With the assassination of President Garfield, the newly founded police department is too overwhelmed with avenging his death to bother with the case. It's up to Lieutenant Dexter to find the guilty party but with little to no support and more victims stacking up, his chances of success are low. As he pursues the villain he is also facing a promotion to Captain but none of those affairs take up his time like the art of wooing one Miss Noreen McCoy. He has been in mad love with the young socialite and though she perceives him as nothing more than a friend, he has not the motivation to give up. However, when tragedy strikes and he is the only one to come to her rescue; winning her heart is only second to mending it. Noreen McCoy is living within a barred cage so tightly molded that even the slightest flutter of her clipped wings leads to a hard fall. Her mother and father see her as nothing but a bargaining tool; a burden they must cultivate. All decisions are made for her, when to eat, how much, when to sleep, how to speak, what to think, who to socialize with and how to dress. Even her appearance offends them. The only hope she keeps burning in her soul is for her beloved fiancé. He is her only chance at true and unbridled happiness …that and the beautiful yet anonymous love letters she finds in her postbox almost daily. Yet, when her life takes a dramatic turn for the worst, the one person who cares is the one she has been keeping at a distance and her chance at a fresh start from the terror can only be found in the little town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania… where the apples are said to be magic. ** Though this is a Prequel, it can be read before or after Book One 'A Valentine for August' This book does contain some violence and mature sexual content best suited for ages 18 years and up.