The Haunted Martyr

England in the chilly winter of 1902 is captive to a new craze: Mediums and psychics are springing up like toadstools after a rainstorm, and the public is rushing to consult them, thirsty for intimations of the Great Beyond. No surprise, Denton has his doubts: An American Yankee in King Edward's city, he is a walking representative of the "Show Me" state. Nevertheless, he's agreed to write a book about ghosts and hauntings, and has taken himself to Italy to do it. Napoli may be bella, but it offers Denton only boredom and frustration, until a dead body – a real one, made of blood and bone rather than ectoplasm – shows up to make life interesting. Even more interesting? The murderer looks to come from among Denton's new circle of oh-so-spiritual friends.