Party Girl

Laura Haynes comes to New York from Kansas dreaming of a break in show business, only to discover how quickly hope can turn predatory. In theatrical agent Ned McCarten's office, her talent is tested, her body appraised, and her ambitions turned against her in a brutal encounter that exposes the city's ruthless underbelly. Shattered and alone, Laura wanders Manhattan in shock, fighting shame and despair until she is taken in by Marilyn Rivers, a streetwise prostitute whose tea, shelter, and hard-won compassion offer the first real kindness Laura has found in the city. Their bond, uneasy but deeply human, becomes a fragile lifeline in a world built on exploitation. Laura's life then veers into a seductive new orbit when Spinelli offers her lucrative work in his glamorous escort operation. Installed in a stylish apartment, photographed, coached by women like Tania, and sent on her first double date with two out-of-town buyers at the Hudson Hotel, she enters a polished world where luxury, sex, and money are inseparable. This dark, unsparing novel traces ambition, vulnerability, and survival as Laura is drawn ever deeper into a city that sells desire and devours innocence. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.