The last words of a frightened woman may be a vital clue to the disappearance of an old friend, if they aren't the ravings of delusional lunatic. Detective Constable Charlie Pyke is desperate to find out. But is he desperate enough to risk the life of his sleuthing partner, medical student Grace Penrose? More to the point, can he stop her?

The answers lie behind the locked doors of an asylum for wealthy young women of delicate sensibilities, where high walls and dark corridors conceal more than one shocking secret.

The 'Penrose & Pyke Mysteries' are a series of heart-warming, pulse-racing historical mysteries, set during a remarkable period of social upheaval in 1890s New Zealand. The fight for women's rights has never been such deadly fun.