Whispers in the Sand

Publisher and industry reviews

Jacket review

Recently divorced Anna Coburn cheers herself up by retracing a journey her great-mother Louise made in the nineteenth century, a Nile cruise from Luxor to the Valley of the Kings. She takes with her two mementoes of Louise, an ancient Egyptian scent bottle and her diary which has lain unread for 100 years in which she discovers a wonderful Victorian love story - and a chilling, more distant secret of the scent bottle as she finds herself pursued by the same terrifying spectres as her great grandmother.An eerie tale of romantic suspense by the author of the blockbusters Lady of Hay, Encounters, Distant Voices, On the Edge of Darkness et al.

UK Kirkus review

Prepare to suspend disbelief and enjoy the high drama and romance of this new Erskine novel, which leads us into an adventure through time. Anna Fox, descendant of the 19th-century artist-traveller Louisa Shelley, inherits from her great-grandmother her illustrated diary and a tiny glass bottle - a souvenir from an Egyptian souk. Smarting from divorce, Anna is encouraged to take a holiday in Egypt, following in Louisa's footsteps, and is bowled over by the exotic beauty and awe-inspiring grandeur of the desert and tombs. But a series of incidents which seem linked to the bottle Anna carries become increasingly menacing. Is Anna being haunted by ancient curses? Erskine's followers will know her talent for persuading readers of the lingering potency of unfinished business, still awaiting solution through new generations. In this novel, three periods - Ancient Egyptian, Victorian and modern - all come together to lay uneasy spirits to rest. Two very different, tantalizing love stories add warmth to a chilling story. Erskine's ability to evoke atmosphere and visual detail, and keep the nerve-ends tingling, add dynamic energy to the story, as well as Egypt itself, with its sights, sounds, smells, heat, brilliant light, intense darkness, the weight of past glories,and the weight of its powerful dead. A page-turner and a heartstopping read which poses some serious questions, to which so far no one has found satisfactory answers. (Kirkus UK)

|

Add to wish list

|

Tell a friend