Once a busy hospital, St. Jude's now stands derelict, awaiting demolition. When a partially mummified corpse is found in the building's cavernous loft, forensics expert Dr. David Hunter is called in to take a look. David can't say how long the body's been there, but he is certain it's that of a young woman. And that she was pregnant.

Then part of the attic floor collapses, revealing another of the hospital's secrets: a bricked-up chamber with beds inside. And some of them are still occupied. For David, what began as a straightforward case is about to become a twisted nightmare--and it soon becomes clear that St. Jude's hasn't claimed its last victim.

"Simon Beckett's sixth novel featuring the forensic anthropologist David Hunter is arguably his best." --The Times (London)