Ashes and Bones (An Emma Fielding Mysteries, No. 6) [Mass Market Paperback]

Dana Cameron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 25, 2006

Just when everything is going beautifully for archaeologist Emma Fielding -- a position at a respected university, a beautiful home in New England, and the warm love of a devoted husband -- her world starts to crumble. What begins as a series of seemingly innocent gestures -- the anonymous delivery of gifts and flowers to Emma's family and friends -- soon progresses to secret, sadistic acts designed to destroy her reputation, her character, and her career.

Someone has instituted a brilliantly insidious campaign of personal terror against Emma Fielding, and she is certain she knows who it is: a cunning and dangerous enemy whom everyone but she believes is dead. But with no proof, no clues, and no allies, Emma will have to fight alone in the dark to rescue a life being rapidly reduced to ashes . . . if she can survive long enough to do so.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the sixth Emma Fielding adventure (after More Bitter Than Death), things are looking up for the archeologist heroine: she has the job she's always wanted, a tenured professorship at a reputable college, the respect of her peers and, most importantly, the love and support of her husband, Brian. Fortunately for readers, this idyllic period in Emma's life doesn't last long. When a series of "pranks" begins to escalate around her—starting with an ominous postcard bearing only the message "soon," followed by strange, generous gifts to her parents in Emma's name, and turning quickly to arson and murder—Emma struggles to pin down the culprit, succumbing to marriage-straining paranoia and fear. Emma is convinced that a former colleague, Tony Markham, is responsible, a theory that would make sense—Tony, a psychopathic murderer, had tried to kill Emma four years previous—were he not already dead. With plenty of twists, a well-developed supporting cast and just enough recap to bring readers new to the series up to date without sacrificing momentum, Cameron has crafted a fine suspense thriller. (Aug.)
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Review

“Cameron has crafted a fine suspense thriller.” (Publishers Weekly )

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 289 pages
• Publisher: Avon (July 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060554673
• ISBN-13: 978-0060554675
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,074,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I missed the archeology, September 21, 2006

By 

Mary H. Lesser "doc lesser" (Valdese, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ashes and Bones (An Emma Fielding Mysteries, No. 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

As a fan of this series I was disappointed in this latest work, but it may be a question of unmet expectations. Usually the main character, Emma Fielding (an archeologist) solves a mystery based on work being done at some site, and the stories have been interestingly augmented by the author's knowledge of the discipline. This addition to the series is a real departure from that format. There's almost none of the archeology, and the plot is basically "I'm not paranoid, there really is someone out to kill me." And, even though I'd read the earlier works, I could not recall why the villain was supposedly after the main character anyway; the author could have done more to either fill in or remind readers of that part of the story line. The references are there, but I at least kept wondering about the motivation for such (apparent) hatred. I also found the description of the academic setting weak, but then I'm a tenured college professor, so it may just be me. I kept being surprised that a dean of something or other didn't show up when certain events transpired at the college, and I REALLY wondered how Emma was able to miss all those classes!!! I hope the next book, now that Nemesis has been laid to rest, will be closer to the earlier stories. It's a good read overall; I think it was just a let down because it was not what I expected based on the earlier works.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ashes are what you'll want to turn these pages to, October 4, 2006

By 

Five Angels (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ashes and Bones (An Emma Fielding Mysteries, No. 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'll keep this simple and short. If you enjoy mysteries that have no mystery, suspense, character development, creative storyline, etcetera - this book is for you. I'm serious. It reeks of an endeavor the author was goaded into by some teaching colleague that thought she had some talent. The author tries to be witty and is overly wordy in the process.

I bought this book thinking the description, title, and cover looked interesting, particularly for this time of year. Don't make the same mistake!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some cheese with that whine?, July 17, 2007

By 

mctamazon (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ashes and Bones (An Emma Fielding Mysteries, No. 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

I agree with the other reviews that this is the weakest of the series. Emma's consistent whining about her life and continual questioning of her motivations, career, marriage, relationships (which are better than most of us have) reaches peak annoyance level in this novel.