Ashes to Ashes Series by Lillian Stewart Carl

Introducing Rebecca Reid and Michael Campbell, who also appear in the Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron series Historian Rebecca Reid comes from Missouri to a replica of a Scottish castle located outside the small town of Putnam, Ohio, to catalog a collection of historical artifacts... moreIntroducing Rebecca Reid and Michael Campbell, who also appear in the Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron series Historian Rebecca Reid comes from Missouri to a replica of a Scottish castle located outside the small town of Putnam, Ohio, to catalog a collection of historical artifacts. She knows that James Forbes, the castle's owner who had just been found dead at the foot of a stairway, owned the Erskine letter—a letter which might prove that Mary, Queen of Scots' son died at birth and was secretly replace by another woman's. It’s just what Rebecca needs for her Ph.D. dissertation. The castle was originally built by James’s parents, John Forbes, captain of industry and collector of all things Scottish, including a young Scottish wife, Elspeth—who threw herself from the fifth story window when she lost her infant daughter. At Dun Iain Rebecca finds herself saddled with a co-worker, Michael Campbell, a Scottish professor sent from the Museum of Scotland to separate out the Forbes' family treasures and decide what would go to home to Scotland and what would stay with the historical society. He has a tartan chip on his shoulder and, Rebecca suspects, a hidden agenda. Sparks fly. Sparks of a different kind fly between Rebecca and Eric Adler, the charming, handsome executor of the Forbes estate. Then there’s Dorothy, the eavesdropping busybody of a housekeeper who had been cleaning Dun Iain for thirty years or more, and handyman Phil Pruitt, his son Steve, and Steve’s girlfriend Heather, all of whom always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And there’s a castle cat that Michael and Rebecca find personable but that Eric fears. Ghostly presences stalk the halls, throw dishes in the kitchen, turn lights on and off, and move objects around. When valuables start vanishing and accidents start happening, Rebecca suspects more than just ghosts are at work. Someone wants her and Michael out of Dun Iain. And amid all the precious artifacts, she can’t find the Erskine letter. “...a real page-turner of a story...descriptive detail brings the reader on the scene...characters come to life through Carl's ear for everyday dialogue...especially spell-binding is the realistic description of the ghostly presence that stalks the twisted corridors...the reader is drawn into the mystery as well as the love story that unfolds...a believable story laced with historical fact and delicious humor. I highly recommend it.” --Barbara Leskey, Ohioana Quarterly “...a Gothic novel with a twist...this is a fantastic mystery in more ways than one...a novel of gradually intensifying tension, as the incidents go from the odd, the mildly frightening, to the very dangerous...a very fine book, well worth reading.” --Timothy Lane, Fosfax “Lillian Stewart Carl is a master hand at providing light, entertaining reading. The haunting of the castle adds tension but is not the sort of thing to keep the timid reader up nights. Ashes to Ashes is a fun read and I look forward to reading more of the series.” --Christine Duncan, Murder Express “Gothic fans will be overjoyed...all the trappings of that subgenre are present--the brooding men, sinister servants, and a mysterious mansion--but the setting is decidedly modern...will make the reader glad that the author is planning a sequel.” --Toby Bromberg, Rave Reviews “There are ghoulies and ghosties (honest) and long leggety beasties (a wonderful cat) and a myriad of things that go bump in the night...a host of suspects to sift through... less

The photo on the cover of Dust to Dust is Melrose Abbey, not only very similar to the story's Rudesburn Priory, but just up the road from it. The sequel to Ashes to Ashes. After months of long-distance phone calls, Rebecca Reid is thrilled to be working with Michael Campbell again, this time on a dig at Rudesburn Priory in the Scottish Borders. It’s rumored that Robert the Bruce's heart was buried there, and that the abbey's last prioress, Anne Douglas, still haunts its ruins... moreThe photo on the cover of Dust to Dust is Melrose Abbey, not only very similar to the story's Rudesburn Priory, but just up the road from it. The sequel to Ashes to Ashes. After months of long-distance phone calls, Rebecca Reid is thrilled to be working with Michael Campbell again, this time on a dig at Rudesburn Priory in the Scottish Borders. It’s rumored that Robert the Bruce's heart was buried there, and that the abbey's last prioress, Anne Douglas, still haunts its ruins. Michael and Rebecca have to work with a self-important archaeologist, Jeremy Kleinfelter, whose reputation is on the line after he was accused of salting his previous dig. They also have to deal with the townspeople, who want the dig to be successful--and who don't know about Jeremy's shady past--and four volunteers working on the dig, loose cannons, every one, each with a secret in his or her past. Then Sheila Fitzgerald, Michael's ex-girlfriend, appears, intent on filming a documentary about the dig. Uncovering a medieval murder mystery makes the tense situation at the dig even tenser. It's the very fresh body in a very old grave that blows it wide open--and tests their relationship for once and for all. For despite ghosts, music, and mayhem, the dig must go on. less

Mark is working at an archaeological excavation and Hilary at an art museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Their relationship is rocky enough without someone resorting to murder to keep his skeletons in the closet. "…an onionskin plot, a fine set of characters, a dash of humor and interesting reThe house in the photo on the print cover of Garden of Thorns (top) is closer to the description of the house in the story, although the house on the cover of the e-version is actually in Fort Worth... moreMark is working at an archaeological excavation and Hilary at an art museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Their relationship is rocky enough without someone resorting to murder to keep his skeletons in the closet. "…an onionskin plot, a fine set of characters, a dash of humor and interesting reThe house in the photo on the print cover of Garden of Thorns (top) is closer to the description of the house in the story, although the house on the cover of the e-version is actually in Fort Worth. Maybe we can split the difference....Mark Owen and Hilary Chase, who met at the excavation of a medieval Scottish priory in Dust to Dust, get back together in Fort Worth, Texas, his home town. Hilary is working at a museum, curating a set of medieval artifacts recovered from the Nazis by famous explorer and writer Arthur Coburg. Only when he recently died did the existence of the artifacts come to light. Now his much younger wife, Dolores, wants to sell them to the museum.Mark is helping British archaeologist Jenny Galliard excavate the Coburgs' eerie Victorian house, Osborne, a place scarred by two unsolved Jack-the-Ripper style murders. The emotional scars of Hilary's past are still healing, much to Mark's sympathy and frustration combined. Putting together a relationship is hard enough without being drawn unwillingly into the dark secrets of the Coburg family. No surprise Osborne is haunted.But Mark and Hilary are dismayed to find that Jenny Galliard is also haunted, by a mystery that dates not only back to World War II, but into medieval times. A killer is still walking the shadows of Osborne House. Will Mark and Hilary survive long enough to find the solution to crimes both recent and distant, let alone long enough to find each other? alism. Each revelation sends the story in a new direction." —Timothy Lane less