"A gripping time-slip suspense story." --The Bookseller
Recently divorced, Anna Fox decides to cheer herself up by retracing a Nile cruise her great-great-grandmother, Louisa, made in the mid-nineteenth century. Anna carries with her two of Louisa's possessions--an ancient Egyptian scent bottle and an illustrated diary of the original cruise, a diary that hasn't been read in a hundred years. As she follows in Louisa's footsteps, Anna discovers in the diary a wonderful love story from the Victorian past--and the chilling, more distant secret of the little glass bottle. Meanwhile, two men on the cruise are developing an unfriendly rivalry for Anna's attention--and a disturbing interest in Louisa's things. Most frightening of all, Anna finds herself the victim of a threat that grows in strength and darkness as the dramatic stories from three different eras intertwine along the mysterious waters of the Nile.What Readers are Saying
"The images she creates are fantastically interwoven in a mysterious romance. I couldn't stop reading."
"Great! Chilling and full of betrayal, revenge, and heat."
"All Barbara Erskine's books have the excitement, detail, slight historical slant, and twists which make the reader look over their shoulder."
"I found myself gripped by the story of Anna and her ancestor, Louisa. The two stories are skillfully threaded together with a magical blend of the stunning descriptions of Egypt and the love stories that enfold the two women."
"It is a mystery that is unfolding before your very eyes. A real page-turner."
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Erskine never loses sight of the fact that the reader must be thoroughly engaged by the problems she sets for her characters. Anna takes on her trip two of Louisa's possessions (the latter was a famous artist): an Egyptian scent bottle from the distant past and a beautifully illustrated diary of the original cruise that no one has read for over a century. We are allowed to be caught up in a fascinating love story from the Victorian era as Anna reads the diary, and more sinister relics of the past (such as the glass bottle) give an edge to the romantic intrigue. As Anna's journey progresses, other members of the party seem to be interested in the mementoes, and there is a rivalry between two men for her attention.
However, the most compelling strand to Erskine's tale is the sinister haunting that Anna finds herself the victim of, as a mysterious presence begins to exert a grip over her. Readers nowadays are used to narratives that take place simultaneously in both the past and the present (such as AS Byatt's Possession, for instance), but the device is handled with particular skill here. In fact, those who have enjoyed such Barbara Erskine books as On the Edge of Darkness will probably be surprised at the sophisticated enjoyment on offer here: this is her most ambitious book yet, and her sensuous scene-setting is first-rate:
Louisa set down her pen and stared out of the window at the dark river outside. She had pulled over the lavish shutters to allow the smell of it, the warmth of the night air, the occasional breath of chill wind from the desert to enter her cabin. It all captivated her. She listened carefully. Above, the stars were violent sparks against the blue-black sky. There was a slight movement behind her, and she turned...--Barry Forshaw
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Book Description Condition: New. Book is in NEW condition. Seller Inventory # 1402261756-2-1
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # Abebooks412996