In Gilded Age New York, orphan Amelia Matthew has supported herself and her foster brother Jonas using her modest psychic talent. But when a head injury seemingly gives Amelia the ability to conjure spirits, she finds herself imprisoned in the notorious insane asylum on Blackwell's Island. After Amelia persuades her Dr. Andrew Cavanaugh that her gift is real, they join forces to help a woman looking for her daughter at the asylum, but they will also have to contend with a murderer and a conspiracy.

"Murphy chillingly evokes some social ills of 19th-century America…. Readers will hope Amelia returns soon."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)