With her arms bound behind her back and a rusty iron hook instead of her left hand, the corpse lies in her grave. When Dr. Ruth Galloway uncovers a skeleton from the Victorian era beneath the ruins of a castle, she believes she has found the remains of Norfolk's most notorious murderer. Numerous chilling tales surround "Mother Hook," who is said to have taken in children only to kill them. However, as the investigation unfolds, the forensic archaeologist begins to doubt her guilt. At the same time, a child from the neighborhood goes missing. It seems someone is determined to protect a centuries-old secret at all costs. This is the sixth case for forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway.