After an explosive fight with her father, Crispin Leads, a talented young scholar who studies burial rituals, flees to London from an archeological dig in the Egyptian desert. There she stumbles across evidence that the fabled Curse of King Tut's Tomb was actually an elaborate ruse to cover up ancient thefts. To dig up the truth, she returns to the burial grounds in the Valley of the Kings. There she must outwit con men, overcome lifelong insecurities, identify the true culprits behind a series of murders and, ultimately, unravel horrific family secrets. Lee creates credible characters, with enviable strengths and a fair share of foibles. She paints evocative London scenes that are gray and damp, the air almost as tangible as the gritty sand and heat of the Saharan desert. The closer Crispin gets to proving her theory about Tut's tomb and its curse, the more dangers she and those around her encounter. The fast-paced narrative will keep readers captivated as two mysteries, not just one, are ultimately resolved--but, happily, not as expected. -- BlueInk Review. October, 2018 Throughout this appealing pulp mystery, the heroine chases ghosts both ancient and contemporary in pursuit of truth. A throwback to young woman sleuth novels of days past, Meredith Lee's Digging Up the Dead is a cheerful mystery centered on ever-romantic Egyptian excavations. -- Reviewed by Michelle Anne Schingler. October 15, 2018. Clarion Rating: 3 out of 5. The second Crispin Leads Mystery Digging Up the Dead finds our young scholar dodging murderers and outwitting con artists on three continents as she tracks down the truth about the fabled Curse of King Tut's Tomb, modern killers and horrific family secrets. Crispin must match wits with dark forces and battle personal demons if she is to dig up the long-buried truth. Move over King Tut. PRAISE FOR DIGGING UP THE DEAD " Shrouded left me wanting more and Digging Up the Dead delivers. Crispin Leads is back. She's smart, she's gritty, and she doesn't back down. The authors had me rooting for her from the first heart-stopping scene to the last heart-breaking moment." --Jennifer Love Hewitt, New York Times best-selling author of The Day I Shot Cupid "Fast-paced and addicting ... keeps you on the edge of your seat as Crispin Leads travels back and forth from Egypt, London and New York in search of a connection between a series of murders as well as answers to her life-long insecurities. Meredith Lee's vivid descriptions and extensive knowledge of ancient ruins puts you right there in the middle of the action." --Kim Brown, Minerva Rising Press "Meredith Lee has done it again, creating a literary page-turner that will enthrall fans of Shrouded. A must read." --Bethany Hegedus, award-winning novelist and Creative Director of The Writing Barn "Compulsively readable, the new installment in the Crispin Leads series is emotionally immersive and thrilling; but, most of all, we get to be with Crispin again." --Katherine Moore, editor and ghostwriter "The fearless Crispin Leads negotiates uncertain terrains confronting a shadowy and powerful conspiracy involving Egyptian treasures. It's an exhilarating and compelling read that leaves me wanting more." --Gloria Amescua, award-winning writer and poet Digging Up the Dead is a finalist in the 2018 Writers' League of Texas Manuscript Contest _____________________________________________________________________________ MEREDITH LEE, aka Sue Meredith Cleveland and Dixie Lee Evatt, is the author of the award-winning Crispin Leads Mystery Series. The Women Who Wrote Digging Up the Dead Meredith Lee is the pen name for the Austin-based writing team of Sue Meredith Cleveland and Dixie Lee Evatt.  SUE MEREDITH CLEVELAND , Author and Artist  Sue is an award-winning artist who has worked in multiple media including oil, watercolor and fiber. Her earliest publications include articles advocating childbirth education and humanizing hospital care. Digging Up the Dead , the second mystery Sue collaborated on with Dixie, was a finalist in the 2018 Writers' League of Texas Manuscript Contest. One Slip Over the Line , Sue's work-in-progress Young Adult novel, was a 2015 finalist in the Cynthia Leitich Smith Writing Mentor Award. Sue's essays, literary memoir pieces, and short stories have been featured in award-winning literary journals, magazines, and blogs. Sue has written two pre-published Middle Grade novels: A Shadow Over Silver and Blue Water Over Dark Secrets .  DIXIE LEE EVATT , Writer and Word-Wrangler  A former political writer for the Austin American-Statesman , Dixie later taught writing at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University. While there she published a book, along with colleagues, on the communication practices of small organizations, Thinking Big. Staying Small . When she teamed up with Sue to write fiction, they sold a screenplay treatment to a Hollywood producer.