Tora Hamilton, living near Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, is far away from home. Her husband, Duncan, grew up there, but left to attend university and only returned due to his job. Tora is a practicing obstetrician, working at the main hospital in Lerwick. As the novel opens, Tora is digging a hole to bury her favorite horse and discovers a woman’s body with the heart cut out and missing and Viking runes carved into it. Coupled with the fact this woman had recently borne a child, Tora is intrigued with the mystery of this body. The local police call in the Scottish police, but to Tora and Dana Tulloch, the local police detective, the investigation is perfunctory, at best. As Tora and Dana look deeper into the mystery, it becomes clear many people in Lerwick are concealing secrets. Why do Duncan and Tora’s boss despise each other? What caused the chasm in the marriage of Tora’s in-laws? Why is Duncan taking drugs to prevent Tora’s pregnancy when all she wants is a baby? What is the secret of the maternity ward on Tronal Island? If you have longed for the return of the gothic novel, along the lines of Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney, this is the book for you.