Shadows in Scarlet (Hardcover)

~ Lillian Stewart Carl (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

resenting a delicious mix of romance and supernatural suspense, Carl (Ashes to Ashes) delivers yet another immensely readable tale. History graduate student Amanda Witham is working as the caretaker at Virginia's historic Melrose Hall and takes on the role of one of its 18th-century inhabitants, giving tours to visitors. Archeologists working on the site find a man's skeleton buried in the garden; that same night a ghost appears to Amanda in the house. The apparition is the dashing and handsome British officer James Grant, who supposedly died in battle during the Revolutionary War. But the way Grant died was actually quite different, and Amanda finds herself promising the ghost to help find out the truth behind his death. She also must figure out a way to pass on her "special" knowledge of Grant to those working on the house and grounds without revealing just how she knows who the skeleton really is. Amanda finds herself increasingly attracted to the ghost, but how can she fancy herself in love with a dead man? The trail to the truth behind Grant's death leads Amanda to Scotland and the Grant family's ancestral castle, where Amanda finds a very real Grant who just may hold the key to her future. If, that is, her ghostly lover will be willing to let go of the past. Carl has created an engaging cast and a very entertaining plot, spicing the mix with some interesting twists on the ghostly romantic suspense novel. (Dec.)Forecast: Readers may be put off by the high price of Carl's novel one of the first original titles from Wildside, a POD publisher of primarily SF, fantasy and horror but supportive blurbs from Anne McCaffrey, Lois McMaster Bujold and Carole Nelson Douglas could help offset sticker shock.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Shadows in Scarlet

Amanda Witham sees her new job at an eighteenth-century house as a career move, just part of the history business, nothing personal. Then archaeologists find a man’s skeleton buried in the garden behind the house.

That night James Grant’s ghost introduces himself to her. And a handsome and charming ghost he is, in the tartan kilt and scarlet coat of King George’s Highland Regiment. Suddenly Amanda finds history to be up close and very personal indeed.

Like many handsome and charming men, James puts Amanda in a difficult position. She can hardly tell her friends and co-workers of her hands-on original source. And yet she promises James she’ll reveal the truth about his death — just as soon as she figures out what the truth is.

So why was he buried in the garden when eighteenth-century records say he died in battle?

Amanda’s quest begins in Colonial Williamsburg and ends at James’s ancestral castle in Scotland, which, she discovers, is still very much in the family. But nothing, not time and space, not illusion and reality, not love and death, turns out to be what she anticipated. And when James’s past finally catches up with her present, Amanda finds her future held at sword’s point.

There’s more than one glint of scarlet in the shadows of the past — and in the shadows of the heart as well. Shadows in Scarlet is stunning. Lillian has an uncanny ability to charm her readers with a hypnotic plot and a delightful romp through otherworldly events, cast with an intrepid heroine, a cunning ghost, a strong and seductive hero, and many more memorable characters. The story is smashing, the ending exciting! Pure magic! — Robyn Carr, Deep in the Valley

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587153750
• ISBN-13: 978-1587153754
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,563,880 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romance, mystery, fun!, June 25, 2006

By	Carol Lynn - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadows in Scarlet (Paperback)

I just finished reading Shadows in Scarlet. What a fun read! It was fast paced, I didn't want to put it down. Romance and mystery with a few surprise twists all rolled in together. I'm a colonial history buff and completely enjoyed the connection to America's formative years. Would love to read more novels of this type!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Mystery with a Paranormal Twist!, September 25, 2003

By	Silmarwen (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amanda Witham is a graduate student working Virginia's Melrose Hall. She doesn't enjoy the heat of her authentic 18th century clothes, but she does enjoy playing the part of Sally, the plantation owner's daughter, while she takes tourists around the house. Everything is running smoothly until the archaeologists find a skeleton buried in the garden. That same night, Amanda sees a ghost in the hall and knows that it is James Grant, a dashing British soldier who mysteriously disappeared right before a local battle. Suddenly, Amanda finds herself searching for James Grant instead of working on her thesis. It is true that she hasn't had a boyfriend in a long while, and who can turn away such a dashing and handsome man? Amanda finds herself romantically involved with a ghost - a ghost who wants to return to his native Scotland.

As Amanda flies to James' ancestral estate, which was inherited by his cousin upon his death about 150 years ago, Amanda has no idea what to expect. She certainly doesn't expect the charming Malcolm, who is the spitting image of James. She also doesn't expect to find such a disparity between James' version of his death and his cousin, Archibald's account. Amanda begins to suspect that James is not quite the hero he has made himself out to be. And, as she falls in love with Malcolm, she knows that she will have to find a way to exorcise James - or join him in the afterlife...

This was a very entertaining paranormal mystery with great characters and a wonderful setting. I enjoyed learning about the Scottish regiments based in Virginia during the Revolutionary War and about that time period in general. The author has a knack for slipping historical background information into the story without boring the reader, which was wonderful. The characters were good - very strong and easy to empathize with. I also enjoyed the sudden plot twist and Amanda's growing suspicions about James. My only complaint with the book, aside from the cost, of course, was that the ending was quite abrupt. There is a lot of action packed into the last 50 pages or so, which was quite startling considering the slow build up to James' appearance at the beginning of the book. I would have liked to have seen more time in Scotland and more time between Amanda and Malcolm, rather than falling back on the old 'love at first sight' routine. Still, it is a well written book with a nice little mystery that fans of Carl will enjoy and people who have never read anything by her should be excited to discover!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A teriffic paranormal romance, November 22, 2001

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amanda Witham enjoys wearing the eighteenth century garb while working as a tour guide at Williamsburg, Virginia's Melrose House even with the unbearable heat wilting her. To Amanda, her job enables her to live history and provide some joy to visitors.

Archeologists discover two-century-old bones in the nearby garden of Melrose House that prove to be the remains of James Grant who was thought to be allegedly buried in Scotland. That is a surprising find, but pales to what happens next to Amanda as the ghost of James visits her and persuades her to uncover the truth about his untimely death. Amanda agrees and travels to Scotland where James is supposedly buried in his ancestral home. As she begins to fall in love with her apparition visitor, Amanda finds herself embroiled in his past that could lead to her present demise.

This engaging paranormal romance contains time travel and suspense elements intertwined seamless to create a dynamite plot. The story line is fun and captivating especially seeing the world through the idealistic eyes of the audacious, adorable Amanda. Lillian Stewart Carl furbishes an engaging tale that entertains readers while enticing the audience to elicit more novels like SHADOWS IN SCARLET and a previous work, MEMORY AND DESIRE, from this talented author.

Harriet Klausner