Victoria Thompson once again 'vividly recreates the gaslit world of New York.' (Publishers Weekly) Sarah Brandt is not completely surprised when her very proper mother asks her to attend a séance. She knows that Mrs. Decker still carries great guilt over the death of her older daughter, Maggie. So Sarah accompanies her and the spiritualist does seem to contact Maggie – convincing Mrs. Decker to attend another séance. Only this time, one of the attendees doesn't succeed in speaking to the dead – she joins them. Now, it's up to Sarah and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy to protect Mrs. Decker from scandal – by determining how a woman was murdered in the pitch dark when every suspect was holding the hand of the person next to them.