aDeath In a Garden of Iciclesa is a murder mystery set in post-World War II New York City. A young woman is brutally murdered on her way to work after leaving her parentsa home, and then struggles to understand what has happened to her. Young Mary Ryan attracted the wrong men, whose disparate lives lead them to suicide, murder or imprisonment for life. Her sister, Catherine, haunted for years by Maryas unsolved killing, convinces the police to re-open the case. Handsome detective Tom Maguire brings the case to its shocking conclusion-shocking because the young man convicted of her murder, who was also convinced that he killed Mary but did not attempt to rape her, didnat do it!Mary, from the prospective of a dead girl, explores the lives of her stalkers, a prison camp survivor, a bum, a Cuban emigre, a psychologically damaged fashion designer and a schizophrenic co-worker.