A Madness So Discreet

Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery

Mindy McGinnis, the acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, combines murder, madness, and mystery in a beautifully twisted gothic historical thriller perfect for fans of novels such as Asylum and The Diviners as well as television’s True Detective and American Horror Story.

Grace Mae is already familiar with madness when dark family secrets and the bulge in her belly send her to a Boston insane asylum—but it is in the darkness that she finds a new lease on life. When a visiting doctor interested in 19th-century criminal psychology recognizes Grace’s brilliant mind beneath her rage, he recruits her as his assistant. Continuing to operate under the cloak of madness at crime scenes allows her to gather clues from bystanders who believe her less than human. Now comfortable in an ethical asylum, Grace finds friends—and hope. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who will bring her shaky sanity and the demons in her past dangerously close to the surface.

• Gothic Historical Thriller: Step into the grim wards of a 19th-century asylum, where a brilliant young woman must feign madness to survive—and solve a crime.
• Early Criminal Profiling: Watch as Grace uses her sharp intellect to analyze gruesome crime scenes, pioneering a new science to hunt a killer who preys on the vulnerable.
• A Haunting Murder Mystery: As Grace and the doctor get closer to the truth, the investigation forces Grace to confront the horrifying demons of her own past.
• Strong Female Lead: Trapped by family secrets but armed with a brilliant mind, Grace Mae discovers her own power in the darkest of places.

“A very satisfying journey, by turns philosophical and riveting.” - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

“Brutal, relentless, and haunting. Every character in A Madness So Discreet is more colorful and unforgettable than the last. With a realistic, emotionally complex, and clever heroine, readers will find themselves rooting for Grace from page one. Her story and McGinnis’s style are too gripping to ignore.” - Madeleine Roux, New York Times bestselling author of Asylum series

PRAISE FOR IN A HANDFUL OF DUST: “Tension’s maintained by constant, subtle foreshadowing (rather than transparent cliffhangers), and the characters rarely feel safe enough for readers to relax. Hard to put down.” - Kirkus Reviews

PRAISE FOR NOT A DROP TO DRINK: “A high-quality survivalist story for readers who enjoy internal story arcs as well as external dangers.” - Kirkus Reviews

“The intensity of action moves the story forward, but not at the expense of character development. The complex, authentic characters are neither fully evil nor unbelievably good. The honest and hopeful ending—while not “happily ever after”—will resonate with readers and leave them asking for more.” - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

“Grace’s story shines. Every person she encounters, mad or trapped by the label of madness, feels achingly real. Readers will wish they could watch her and Thornhollow solve murders for pages and pages more. A dark study of the effects of power in the wrong hands, buoyed by a tenacious heroine and her colorful companions.” - Kirkus Reviews

“McGinnis excels at rich character development; every person readers meet makes a dramatic impact on the story and on Grace. Grace herself is flawed, complicated, and struggling with intense pain that leads her to some very dark and murky moral places where she asks people to do what may be the wrong thing but for the right reasons. This book is highly recommended.” - School Library Journal

“McGinnis excels at rich character development. Grace herself is flawed, complicated, and struggling with intense pain that leads her to some very dark and murky moral places where she asks people to do what may be the wrong thing but for the right reasons. This book is highly recommended.” - School Library Journal

“Several storylines are threaded together in this powerful and dark book, examining the line between sanity and insanity and often indicting those who get to define that line. McGinnis extends compassion to the asylum’s most helpless patients as well as the most disturbed and violent characters.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Those in search of fierce female survivalist characters need look no further than this.” - Booklist

“In an understated but gripping debut, McGinnis paints a stark picture of a world not far removed from our own, concentrating on Lynn’s gradual emotional growth as contrasted against the physical harshness of her existence.” - Publishers Weekly

“Grace’s story shines. Every person she encounters, mad or trapped by the label of madness, feels achingly real. Readers will wish they could watch her and Thornhollow solve murders for pages and pages more.” - Kirkus Reviews

“A bountiful buffet of twisted, dark intrigue. While others are writing about relatively ‘normal’ heroes and heroines, McGinnis takes the less-traveled route to bring us a heroine damaged physically and mentally, and to the far reaches of her soul. McGinnis can surely tell a story.” - USA Today

“Grace’s personal struggles to find her own place and influence her own story mirror the historical struggles of women throughout history. Fans of period pieces and crime dramas will be pleased with this haunting tale.” - School Library Journal