A Fever of the Blood

Inspectors Ian Frey and "Nine Nails" McGray are called to the local asylum in the middle of the night in this second installment of the historical detective series set in late 19th-century Edinburgh, Scotland. One of the nurses is dying of strychnine poisoning, though many believe that she was cursed by witches. McGray is a bitter alcoholic in charge of the two-man police department (referred to as "The Elucidation of Unsolved Cases Presumably Related to the Odd and Ghostly") and haunted by his sister's madness and incarceration at the asylum. Frey, a sharply dressed Londoner in exile, attempts to forget that his fiancée left him to marry his brother. The men are a mismatched duo, and teens will appreciate their darkly amusing verbal give-and-take, which drives much of the plot. As McGray and Frey investigate the poisoning, they learn of an ancient curse by a coven of witches, all of whom may still be alive. This chilling foray into insanity, vengeance, and the power of suggestion is full of nonstop action, with plenty of plot twists to keep readers guessing.