Juno McKay intended to avoid her fifteenth-year college reunion weekend, but she can't resist the chance to see her longtime friend Christine Webb. Though Juno cringes at the inevitable talk of her troubled personal life --- and the husband who ended up in a mental hospital only two years after their wedding -- she endures the gossip for her friend's sake. While lecturing at the Penrose College library, Christine shocks the rapt crowd by revealing little-known details about the lives of two sisters -- members of the influential family whose name the college bears. Christine's revelations throw shadows of betrayal, lust and insanity over the family's distinguished facade. After her speech, Christine seems distant, uneasy, and sad. The next day, she disappears. Juno is alarmed and begins to peel away the layers of secrets and madness that surround the Penrose dynasty. She fears that Christine discovered something damning about them, perhaps even something worth killing for. And Juno is determined to find it -- for her friend and her herself. -- Provided by publisher.

Includes a reader's guide and a 16 page excerpt from Ghost orchid.