As a columnist for a New York City tabloid, Porter Wren digs through the detritus of New York's most horrific murders and sensational crimes, searching for the twist that the TV reporters missed, the illuminating irony, the romantic detail that may add meaning to the relentless wreckage of human appetite and folly. He can't resist a good story - especially when an intriguing and beautiful woman is involved.

Caroline Crowley, the young widow of the brilliant film director Simon Crowley, seeks out Porter in a crowded cocktail party because - as she says - she has "a little problem.".

The problem is neither little nor exactly as Caroline describes it, yet it would appear Porter is the perfect man for the job: smart, curious, and willing. From the party he telephones his wife and lies about why he'll be late coming home - something he's never done before but will do again. That night, Porter finds himself in Caroline's Fifth Avenue apartment, drawn ever deeper into the life of a dangerous woman, and further into the dark heart of the city.

Who was Simon Crowley and what led to his mysterious death? What clues did he leave behind - perhaps intentionally? Who, unknown to Porter, is threatening Caroline? And how does the columnist's inquisitiveness endanger his own family? Set against the great tableau of New York City, Manhattan Nocturne masterfully portrays the collision of a man's desire and a woman's past.