Murder in the Queen's Armes — Aaron Elkins

SKULLDUGGERY...

Why would anyone steal a thirty-thousand-year-old skull? England's famous Poundbury Man has been swiped right from its museum case, and anthropologist Gideon Oliver, honeymooning in Britain with his new bride, Julie, finds the mystery intriguing.

No sooner has the couple checked into the Queen's Armes, a cozy inn in scenic, seaside Dorchester, than does Gideon discover that something fishy is also afoot at a nearby archaeological dig. An old colleague has promised to unearth a magnificent find about the Bronze Age; what turns up first is a mysterious, battered body. Gideon's forensic skills soon reveal the victim's identity and a vital clue about the killer. Now, in place of romance and roses, Gideon and Julie are surrounded by danger--unwittingly drawn into the sinister shadows of a villain's black design.