Sheila Dalton was born in Middlesex, England, and immigrated to Canada with her family at the age of six. She has been published in many formats, including children's picture books and poetry and has even ventured into drama, winning third prize for her play Legacy in the University of Toronto Playwriting Competition. Trial by Fire was Sheila's first novel for young people. She lives in Newmarket, Ontario.

Introduction; Developing the Craft; Laying on of Hands; Into the Wilderness, 1910-12; Death of the Village, 1913-19; The Final Expeditions, 1920-27; Epilogue; Index.

A mute Mayan girl held captive in a crate in the Guatemalan jungle, a big-city psychoanalyst with a rescue complex, and a journalist with a broken heart are the characters in Sheila Dalton's second literary novel.

Caitlin Shaughnessy, a Canadian journalist, discovers that Inez, a traumatized young Mayan woman originally from Guatemala, has killed Caitlin's psychoanalyst partner, Dr. Jerry Simpson. Simpson brought the girl, who may be autistic, back to Canada as an act of mercy and to attempt to treat her obvious trauma. Cailin desperately needs to find out why this terrible incident occurred so she can find the strength to forgive and move on with her life.
Inez, whose sense of wonder and innocence touches all who meet her, becomes a focal point for many of the Canadians who encounter her. As Caitlin struggles to uncover the truth about Inez's relationship with Jerry, Inez struggles to break free of the projections of others. Each must confront her own anger and despair. The doctors in the north have an iciness that matches their surroundings, a kind of clinical armour that Caitlin must penetrate if she is to reach Inez.
The Girl in the Box is a psychological drama of the highest order and a gripping tale of intrigue and passion.