When she's not digging up bones or other ancient objects, quirky, tart-tongued archaeologist Ruth Galloway lives happily alone in a remote area called Saltmarsh near Norfolk, land that was sacred to its Iron Age inhabitants—not quite earth, not quite sea. When a child's bones are found on a desolate beach nearby, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson calls Galloway for help. Nelson thinks he has found the remains of Lucy Downey, a little girl who...

Amelia Peabody, a Victorian gentlewoman of 32, inherited two things from her father: his fortune and a formidable self-confidence. The first permitted her to pursue her keen interest in Egyptology. And the second proved very useful when she takes in a young woman on her way to an archaeological expedition in Egypt--a young woman that quickly becomes the target of a kidnapping attempt--as well as a host of complications for Amelia herself.

For archaeologist Amelia Peabody and her family, the allure of Egypt remains as powerful as ever, even in this tense time of World War. But nowhere in this desert land is safe -- especially for Amelia's son Ramses and his beautiful new wife Nefret. Treachery and peril are pursuing the two young lovers across the length and breadth of this strange, exotic world, strengthening a bond of passion and devotion that only death can sever. And the grim discovery...

In downtown Manhattan, a gruesome discovery has just been made - an underground charnel house containing the bones of murder victims. Research reveals that a serial killer was at work in New York's notorious Five Points neighbourhood in the 1880's, bent on prolonging his lifespan by any means.