[Ashes to Ashes 01] • Ashes to Ashes

Historian Rebecca Reid comes to a replica of a Scottish castle in Ohio to catalog a collection of historical artifacts. James Forbes, the castle's owner---who was recently found dead at the foot of a stairway---owned the Erskine letter, a letter which might prove that Mary, Queen of Scots' son died at birth and was secretly replaced by another woman's. It’s just what Rebecca needs for her Ph.D. dissertation. At Dun Iain Rebecca finds herself saddled with a co-worker, Michael Campbell, a Scottish academic sent from the Museum of Scotland to choose which among the Forbes' family treasures should go home to Scotland. He has a tartan chip on his shoulder and, Rebecca suspects, a hidden agenda. Sparks fly.

Sparks of a different kind fly between Rebecca and Eric Adler, the charming, handsome executor of the Forbes estate. Then there’s Dorothy, the eavesdropping busybody of a housekeeper, and other locals, all of whom always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ghostly presences stalk the halls, throw dishes in the kitchen, turn lights on and off, and move objects around. When valuables start vanishing and accidents start happening, Rebecca suspects more than just ghosts are at work. Someone wants her and Michael out of Dun Iain. And amid all the precious artifacts, she can’t find the Erskine letter. Introducing Rebecca Reid and Michael Campbell, who also appear in the Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron series.