Brilliant, dedicated, and driven, archaeologist Emma Fielding finds things that have been lost for hundreds of years—and she's very, very good at it. A soon-to-be-tenured professor of archaeology, she has recently unearthed evidence of a 17th century coastal Maine settlement that predates Jamestown, one of the most significant archaeological finds in years. But the dead body that accompanies it—a corpse washed ashore near the site—has embroiled Emma and her students in a different kind of exploration. With her reputation suddenly in jeopardy—due to the ruthless machinations of a disgruntled rival—and a second suspicious death, heartbreakingly close to home, Emma must unearth a killer among the artifacts. But that means digging deep into her past to dark secrets buried in the heart of the archeological community—which, in turn, could bury Emma Fielding.

Archaeologist Emma Fielding is beginning to doubt the wisdom of spending her vacation in England helping friends excavate a twelfth-century abbey, especially when they uncover an all-too-modern skeleton in a nearby medieval graveyard. But it's the second discovery—of a murdered graduate student recently missing from the dig—that suggests to Emma that Marchester isn't exactly the quiet riverside town that it appears to be. There are dark passions and lethal secrets buried here, heinous crimes that shake the conflicted community to its core. And it's up to Emma, an outsider far from home, to delve into a past that too many people—including her friends—would do anything to hide.

What bones are buried in the shadows of the past? Asked to join a dig at the site of the eighteenth-century Chandler House, archaeologist Emma Fielding and her student crew have descended upon Stone Harbor, Massachusetts. But certain residents of the tiny coastal community are none too happy about Emma's arrival—especially when her excavation uncovers a pair of freshly slain corpses. There are dark forces at play in this dangerously divided town, where a distrust of strangers wars with a desire for tourist dollars. And when a young local's life is snuffed out, Emma is determined to get to the twisted roots of the strange secrets buried in this killing ground. But a mystery that lies among the tumbled ruins of a once grand manor could change Stone Harbor forever. And for some murderous someone, one more death—Emma's—would be a small price to pay to keep it hidden.

The past's blood stains the present The opportunity of a lifetime awaits archaeologist Emma Fielding in the Berkshire foothills of Western Massachusetts: the chance to study the eighteenth-century diary of Margaret Chandler, the accused witch and murderess whose home Emma excavated only months before. However, the three other Shrewsbury Foundation fellows she must share the premises with are a disturbingly odd bunch, and before too long one of them is dead. But Emma can find no solace in the bleak beauty of the surrounding wilderness, for there are dark secrets encoded in Madam Chandler's writings, and shocking parallels between an ancient slaying and the strange brutal demise of her colleague. When the killer strikes again, Emma realizes her own life is at stake. And suddenly there is no choice left: she is driven to investigate bloody crimes past and present—before her own death becomes a footnote in a chilling, three-centuries-old story.

In an historic, if isolated, New England hotel, some of the most respected names in archaeology are coming together to celebrate the work of Julius Garrison, a legend in the field. It's a conference Emma Fielding is determined to attend—braving a furious winter storm to get there—even though Garrison is no friend to her or her family. An when the honoree's lifeless body is discovered outside the snowbound inn, Emma suddenly finds she is a murder suspect, along with a surprising number of the other guests. The bitterness widely spread by a cantankerous old man has had fatal consequences, forcing Emma fielding to put her archaeological skills to forensic use to uncover the truth. But a strange series of thefts and attacks—and eerie rumors about a ghostly prowler—suggest that truth may be more deadly than Emma imagines.

Just when everything is going beautifully for archaeologist Emma Fielding—a position at a respected university, a beautiful home in New England, and the warm love of a devoted husband—her world starts to crumble. What begins as a series of seemingly innocent gestures—the anonymous delivery of gifts and flowers to Emma's family and friends—soon progresses to secret, sadistic acts designed to destroy her reputation, her character, and her career. Someone has instituted a brilliantly insidious campaign of personal terror against Emma Fielding, and she is certain she knows who it is: a cunning and dangerous enemy whom everyone but she believes is dead. But with no proof, no clues, and no allies, Emma will have to fight alone in the dark to rescue a life being rapidly reduced to ashes... if she can survive long enough to do so.

"Footsteps in the Dark," tales by Dana Cameron, Michael Z. Lewin, Marilyn Todd, W. Edward Blain and more.