Silhouette in Scarlet

ELIZABETH PETERS was born and brought up in Illinois. She is a prolific and successful novelist with over fifty novels to her credit and is internationally renowned for her mystery stories. Mrs Peters lives in a historic farmhouse in Frederick, Maryland, with six cats and one dog.

Praise for Elizabeth Peters

‘Elizabeth Peters has always known how to romance us.’

New York Times Book Review

‘I really do think Elizabeth Peters’ books are great entertainment.’

Angela Rippon

‘The perfect recipe for splendid entertainment!’

Maxim Jakubowski, Guardian

Also by Elizabeth Peters

The Amelia Peabody murder mystery series: (Titles listed in order)

The Vicky Bliss murder mystery series: (Titles listed in order)

Crocodile on the Sandbank

Borrower of the Night

The Curse of the Pharaohs

Street of the Five Moons

The Mummy Case

Silhouette in Scarlet

Lion in the Valley

Trojan Gold

The Deeds of the Disturber

Night Train to Memphis

The Last Camel Died at Noon

The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog

The Hippopotamus Pool

Seeing a Large Cat

The Ape Who Guards the Balance

The Falcon at the Portal

Thunder in the Sky

Lord of the Silent

The Golden One

Children of the Storm

Guardian of the Horizon

The Serpent on the Crown

Tomb of the Golden Bird

Constable & Robinson Ltd

3 The Lanchesters

162 Fulham Palace Road

London W6 9ER

www.constablerobinson.com

First published by Avon Books, 2000

This UK paperback edition published by Robinson, an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd, 2007

Copyright © Elizabeth Peters, 2000, 2007

All rights reserved. 

To Paula and Jim

Music I heard with you

was more than music,

And bread I broke with

you was more than bread

Conrad Aiken

Chapter One

THIS TIME IT WASN’T MY FAULT.

On several previous occasions I have found myself up to my neck in trouble (and that’s pretty high up, because I am almost six feet tall), -which might have been avoided if I had displayed a little ladylike discretion. This