" 
 : It isn't ""ultra-PC"", just appropriate, as it covers the entire gamut of sex-related commerce; the word ""prostitute"" has a lot of negative connotations which aren't relevant to the story. As your sentence regarding '""sugar coat[ing]""' demonstrated, ""prostitute"" is used as a derogatory term because of the traditional biases still clinging to our society. The important fact here is that they all worked in the same industry, in a small geographic area; if they had all been mailmen would you mind if it said ""the postal service"" instead? Yes, their career decision made them (potentially) easier targets, but unless the killer was Jack the Ripper they were probably chosen because of the ease of access; I doubt the killer was killing these women specifically because they were sex workers.   "