Introducing a new line of Carolyn Hart Classics

Beijing, 1941: The ancient bones of the famed "Peking Man" are placed in two wooden crates for shipment to the United States to escape the invading Japanese army. The bones are never seen again.

New York City, 1970s: a mysterious woman offers to sell the bones to an unknown man on top of the Empire State Building. But when someone takes a photograph, she makes a hasty retreat and disappears forever. San Francisco, 1980s: The greatest treasure in the history of paleontology remains missing—until a frantic stranger named Jimmy calls on noted anthropologist

Ellen Christie and shares a scintillating secret with her: he has evidence of the bones in his backpack. She becomes convinced that he is right. But when she visits his Chinatown home, Jimmy must flee with the evidence, as a couple of thugs are also after the treasure.

As Ellen and Jimmy's brother, Dan, navigate the treachery of the city's elite criminals, her dreams of academic stardom draw closer. Unfortunately, so does danger.

Can Ellen really trust Jimmy? And if she can't, will her own ambition and her growing attraction to Dan lead her astray? Ellen will soon discover that the real world is greyer than the black-and-white lines of science, and the blurrier the lines, the more fun they are to cross!

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"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

"A Carolyn Hart classic, filled with razor-sharp suspense on every page."

—Mary Kennedy
Author of the Talk Radio Mystery series

"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 he ther 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