The Scold's Bridle written by Minette Walters performed by Geraldine James on Cassette (Abridged)

Mathilda Gillespie’s body was found nearly two days after she had taken an overdose and slashed her wrists with a Stanley knife. But what shocked Dr Sarah Blakeney the most was the scold’s bridle obscuring the dead woman’s face, a metal contraption grotesquely adorned with a garland of nettles and Michaelma’s daisies.

What happened at Cedar House in the tortured hours before Mathilda’s death?

The police assume that the coroner will return a verdict of suicide. Only Dr Blakeney, it seems, doubts the verdict. Until it is discovered that Mathilda’s diaries have disappeared…