INTRODUCING A NEW LINE OF CAROLYN HART CLASSICS, each with a new introduction by the author! BEIJING, 1941: The ancient bones of the famed "Peking Man" are placed in two wooden crates for shipment to the United States to escape the invading Japanese army. The bones are never seen again. San Francisco, 1980s: The greatest treasure in the history of paleontology remains missing--until a frantic stranger named Jimmy calls on noted anthropologist Ellen Christie and shares a scintillating secret with her: he may have the famous bones in his possession. After allowing Dr. Christie to examine an intriguing skull in a dank Chinatown basement, Jimmy is forced to flee with the evidence, a couple of violent thugs in hot pursuit. As Ellen navigates the treachery of the city's elite criminals along with Jimmy's brother, Dan, her dreams of academic stardom draw closer. Unfortunately, so does danger.