First print-published by Berkley Publishing Group, 1992Mark 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? After starting out in science fiction and fantasy, Lillian Stewart Carl is now writing contemporary novels blending mystery, romance, and fantasy, along with short mystery and fantasy stories. Her work often includes paranormal themes. It always features plots based on history and archaeology. While she doesn't write comedy, she believes in characters with a sense of humor.Her fantasies are set in a mythological, alternate-history Mediterranean and India. Hercontemporary novels are set in Texas, in Ohio, in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, and in Englandand Scotland.Of her Shadows in Scarlet, Publishers Weekly says: "Presenting a delicious mix of romance andsupernatural suspense, Carl (Ashes to Ashes) delivers yet another immensely readable tale. Shehas created an engaging cast and a very entertaining plot, spicing the mix with some interesting twists on the ghostly romantic suspense novel."Of her Lucifer's Crown, Library Journal says: "Blending historical mystery with a touch of the supernatural, the author creates an intriguing exploration of faith and redemption in a world that is at once both modern and timeless.Among many other novels, Lillian is the author of the Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron cross-genremystery series: America's exile and Scotland's finest on the trail of all-too-living legends. Of The Secret Portrait, Kirkus says: Mystery, history and sexual tension blend with a taste of the wild beauty of the Highlands. Of The Burning Glass, Publishers Weekly says: "Authentic dialect, detailed descriptions of the castle and environs, and vivid characters recreate an area rich in history and legend. The tightly woven plot is certain to delight history fans with its dramatic collision of past and present."With John Helfers, Lillian co-edited The Vorkosigan Companion, a retrospective on Lois McMaster Bujold's science fiction work, which was nominated for a Hugo award.Her first story collection, Along the Rim of Time, was published in 2000, and her second, TheMuse and Other Stories of History, Mystery, and Myth, in 2008, including three stories that werereprinted in Year's Best mystery anthologies.Her books are available in both print and electronic editions, and her web site ishttp://www.lillianstewartcarl.com
