From the acclaimed author of A Field of Darkness comes another fabulous crime novel featuring the acerbically funny voice of sparky ex-debutante Madeline Dare.

Madeline Dare has finally escaped rust-belt Syracuse, New York with her husband, Dean, and they're headed for the lush Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts. But when Dean's job offer there falls through, Maddie has to scramble for a job, signing on as a teacher at an academy for disturbed teenagers.

Behind the Santangelo Academy's ornate gates, Maddie discovers a disturbing realm where students and teachers alike must submit to the founder's bizarre therapeutic regimen. From day one, Maddie feels uneasy about the smooth-talking Dr Santangelo. But when she questions his unorthodox approach, she's appalled to find her fellow teachers turning on each other rather than protecting the students in their care.

A chilling event confirms Maddie's worst fears, and hints at an even darker secret history, one that goes to the academy's very heart...