Shadows in Scarlet

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!

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!

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