When Katie Harris, an apprenticed doctor, attends the death of a murdered man, she is furious when she learns the victim had wrongly committed his wife, Laura, to a private asylum. Outward appearances have the asylum comfortable, but behind the façade, women are kept submissive with dangerous drugs. Laura’s greedy brother-in-law has complete control of Laura’s estate and inheritance, provided she stays in the asylum. Katie fears Laura will languish there unless she steps in to help.
The village’s inept marshal does little to investigate the murder. Caleb, a handsome newspaper reporter and friend to Katie, fears the wrong man may be charged with the murder and asks for Katie’s help. She agrees so long as he helps her gain access inside the asylum. By posing as a patient, she hopes to find medical files to prove the women are being overdosed. Katie succeeds in becoming a patient and getting the information she needs, but will she find a way out?
With subplots, Dangerous Medicine gives the reader a brief look at historical medical practices as well as the “moral insanity” statues used to control women during much of the nineteenth century. The romantic subplot between Caleb Brown and Katie adds intrigue and suspense.