THE ARDIS COLE  MYSTERY SERIES

THE CURSE OF SENMUT:  BOOK ONE in the  Ardis Cole Series

Outside a small village near the Valley of the Kings, archaeologist Ardis Cole arrives in Egypt to help excavate a tomb recently discovered by her mentor, Jane Darvin. When Jane is murdered, Ardis must assume responsibility for the project. With the help of mysterious Blake Lydon, she must unravel the tomb's mystery-an ancient secret concerning two miniature obelisks of gold hidden by Queen Hatshepsut's love, Senmut, over 2000 years ago. As Ardis uncovers the ancient mystery, she finds herself drawn into a modern action tale of hatred, murder, and revenge. 

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UNMARKED GRAVE:  BOOK TWO  Set in Scotland

Ardis Cole travels to Scotland to do a facial reconstruction on a skull her friend Bruce McBrier has discovered in the woods outside his ancestral castle. Because of an ancient ax buried in the skull, Bruce presumes the skull to be a historical relic, possibly the remains of a medieval ancestor murdered in battle. When Ardis makes the shocking discovery that the remains are that of a more recent murder, Constable Mark Ridley asks her help in going ahead with the facial reconstruction in hopes the victim can be identified. But someone is willing to go to great lengths ... even murder ... to keep the skull's deadly secret.

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THE CRIMSON MASQUERADE : BOOK THREE  Set in China

Trouble precedes Ardis Cole to the site of a Han Dynasty tomb in China. Dr. Yong Po, who has asked for her assistance, is being stalked by a person wearing a crimson opera mask. Ardis is concerned when her co-worker, Grant Merlin, fails to arrive at the project, and his ex-wife, Sheri, takes his place. More problems arise when Sheri is attacked on the cliffs by the same masked intruder. Ardis' search for the tomb of emperor Sun Yan leads to ancient intrigue surrounding a captive princess, referred to in his poetry as the "Lady of White Jade." As Ardis delves deeper into the tomb's secret, a centuries old crime of passion is eerily replayed in the present.

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MURDER AND THE MONALET RUBY: BOOK FOUR   Set in the USA

When Ardis Cole goes to South Dakota to handle a bequest of pioneer and Sioux artifacts left to the University of Chicago by the wealthy private collector, Anthony LaMoine, she finds unexpected trouble—a stolen ruby, a present-day murder, and a skeleton in the cellar! As a teenager after a battle with his father, Anthony’s adopted son had run away from home. Find the son, the housekeeper tells her, and you’ll find the thief. But is the son really the guilty party? And is the mysterious writer-historian, Seldon Drake, the man he claims to be—or is he an imposter?

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THE DESTRUCTION OF NEVA: BOOK 5   Set in Russia

Ardis Cole is summoned to Russia to help Grant Merlin’s friend, Nikolai Savik, locate a priceless marble statue called Neva. The life-sized sculpture vanished along with the artist, Nikolai’s uncle Treve Savik, seven years ago. Most people believe Treve destroyed his masterpiece then committed suicide after being jilted by the statue’s beautiful model, Varina Morinsky. On the way to the Savik mansion Ardis is nearly pushed to her death in the Moscow subway. Once in St. Petersburg instead of finding the sculpture, Ardis discovers the grave of a murder victim, buried for seven years. The search for the missing sculpture becomes a hunt for a dangerous killer--one who will not hesitate to strike again.

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KILLER OF EAGLES: BOOK  6 Set in the USA  Native American Theme

Ardis Cole braves a sudden blizzard on her way to the isolated Pine Ridge Sioux Reservation to help her friend, Ella White Owl, locate her missing niece. Carrie, an art teacher at Shadow Pass High School, appears to have simply vanished without a trace. Medicine man Jim Walks Alone shares with Ardis his disturbing vision about a “killer of eagles,” which to the Sioux represents an evil person, and a destroyer of all that is good.Ardis soon finds the girl’s wrecked car deep in the canyon, a dead man who was shot through the head was behind the wheel. But there is no sign of Carrie. Ardis’ search for Carrie leads her on a hunt for a rare relic stolen from the local church, a wild chase through the badlands, and a face-to-face confrontation with the “killer of eagles.”

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THE PIRATED EMERALD BOOK 7  Set in the USA 

When Ardis’ colleague, Red Michaels, is found crushed to death by a fallen beam in the wreck of the 1858 clipper ship, the Fortune, she flies to Galveston to take over his search for the ship’s treasures and to head the Fortune exhibit at the local museum.

Known to be aboard the sunken ship is a notorious jewel once stolen by the infamous pirate, Jean Lafitte, the Sea Star Emerald. Oliver Harrington, believing the gem to be the lost Harrington heirloom, traveled to America to purchase the Sea Star from an auction in New Orleans and was returning to England when the Fortune sank. Ardis soon discovers that modern-day treasure hunters are determined to beat her to the jewel. After she retrieves the gem from the ocean’s depths, the Sea Star Emerald is pirated again.

Before the exhibit opens, Ardis is arrested for the crime. She suspects that she has been skillfully set up by the Harrington family. Or is she facing some unknown thief who has been relentlessly pursuing the jewel? With time running out, she must face a vicious killer and prove her innocence.

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CONSIDER ME DEAD   Set in Australia 

A troubled teenager, Jenna Carrington, leaves her father a note to consider me dead before she runs away from home. Five years later the skeletal remains of a female murder victim are found in the river near Sydney, Australia. Archaeologist Ardis Cole traces Jenna’s flight to a homeless shelter on the outskirts of the city. Safe Port’s manager, Quentin Trebb, seems to know more about the missing girl and some rare black opals stolen from her father’s safe than he is willing to reveal. The investigation takes Ardis to Majeri, an Aboriginal settlement in the outback. There, entangled in the dangers of the bush, Ardis finds herself the next target of a vicious killer, stalking her every move, waiting to strike again. 

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