(First print-published by Berkley Publishing Group in 1990)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 replaced 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. 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,
