They were the most horrific crimes of a new century: the murders of newborn innocents for which two British women were hanged at Holloway Prison in1903. Decades later, mystery writer Josephine Tey has decided to write a novel based on Amelia Sach and Annie Walters, the notorious ?Finchley baby farmers,? unaware that her research will entangle her in the desperate hunt for a modern-day killer.
A young seamstress?an ex-convict determined to reform?has been found brutally slain in the studio of Tey's friends, the Motley sisters, amid preparations for a star-studded charity gala. Despite initial appearances, Inspector Archie Penrose is not convinced this murder is the result of a long-standing domestic feud?and a horrific accident involving a second young woman soon after supports his convictions. Now he and his friend Josephine must unmask a sadistic killer before more blood flows?as the repercussions of unthinkable crimes of the past reach out to destroy those left behind long after justice has been served.