SKULDUGGERY
"Readers who only know Carolyn Hart's sunlit and cheerful books will be intrigued to learn that she does dark and suspenseful ones just as well. Skulduggery combines a priceless archeological treasure with an evocative rendering of San Francisco's Chinatown in this surprising standalone."
—Margaret Maron, Author of the Judge Deborah Knott series
"I highly recommend this powerful book." - Judy Hogan, Postmenopausalzest
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From Publishers Weekly
Carolyn Hart. Prometheus/Seventh Street,
Hart (Dead by Midnight) combines a treasure hunt with a tribute to San Francisco’s Chinatown of the early 1980s in this diverting reissue of a 2000 title. Physical anthropologist Dr. Ellen Christie answers a knock at her door one evening to find Jimmy Lee, a young Chinese man with an unexpected request. Taking her to a basement room in Chinatown, Jimmy shows Ellen an oddly shaped skull that she identifies as belonging to the “Peking Man” fossil group. Jimmy’s happiness at the prospect of making a hefty profit from his rare discovery is interrupted by the arrival of two thugs, and in the ensuing scuffle both he and Peking Man disappear. With help from Jimmy’s brother Dan, Ellen attempts to retrace his last few days and figure out where he could have happened upon such an unusual find. During their search, Ellen comes to understand the intermingled hardship and beauty of life in Chinatown. Hart’s tale deftly blends thrills with more thoughtful moments. (Nov.) -
From Library Journal
Hart, Carolyn. Skulduggery. Seventh St. Bks.: Prometheus. (Carolyn Hart Classics) 2012.
180p. ISBN 9781616147068 pap. $13.95.
Ellen Christie, a museum anthropologist, leads a ho-hum life in 1980s San Francisco. Recently, however, a newspaper article profiling her as “the bone lady” attracts a young Chinese American man named Jimmy. He believes that he’s come into possession of the Peking Man (rare fossils that have been missing since the start of World War II). All anthropologists dream of treasure hunts, and Ellen throws caution to the winds. Needless to say, bad guys want those bones too, and the duo immediately runs into trouble. Soon Jimmy’s lawyer brother Dan is helping them navigate the back alleys of Chinatown and Ellen finds she is thinking about more than bones as she gets to know Dan.
VERDICT Hart’s (Death Comes Silently; What the Cat Saw) light romantic suspense stand-alone is thickened with just enough espionage and intrigue to keep readers guessing. Additionally, the award-winning Hart provides a superb new introduction to this title that was originally published in 2000.
"A Carolyn Hart classic, filled with razor-sharp suspense on every page."
—Mary Kennedy
Author of the Talk Radio Mystery series
Reviewed by Bella M. for Cozy Mystery Book Reviews
There is no doubt in my mind that Carolyn Hart is worthy of the title of “American Queen of Crime”. She writes a powerful story in Skulduggery, where the reader will hold her heart in her hands hoping that Ellen Christie and Dan Lee can find his brother and the bones in time.
"Fans of Carolyn Hart are in for a new sort of treat with Skulduggery, an evocative and suspenseful stand-alone
novel set in San Francisco. New readers will go on to her other books and discover why this mistress of mystery is, indeed, a national treasure."
—Katherine Hall Page
Author of the Faith Fairchild Mystery series
"An entertaining dash through San Francisco's Chinatown with attractive detectives and a fascinating look at a real historical mystery. The authentic background—of both Peking Man and modern-day Chinatown—makes it hard to put down."
—JoAnna Carl
Author of The Chocolate Moose Mystery, the twelfth installment in the Chocoholic Mystery series
Treasure—historical, lost, stolen, disappearing, reappearing—it fascinates Carolyn Hart and turns up periodically in her mysteries.... In this slim volume (175 pages) the author touches on 500,000 years of human evolution without slowing the plot’s momentum. The startling denouement comes in the aftermath of a Chinese New Year’s parade.
--Patricia Browning
