The family she works for is distinctly odd, as is the vicar’s daughter who takes her lessons with the three girls. Caro returns to Kent and takes up a position as a music teacher in the house from whose grounds her sister disappeared, without telling anyone about her previous connection to the area. When her husband also dies suddenly, Caro is comforted by her sister, now a talented archaeologist who is working on a dig in Kent.Ĭaro tries to restart her musical career, but then she receives the news that her sister has disappeared just as the dig is coming to an end. Caro, meanwhile, is a talented musician but puts her career on the back burner after she marries a musical genius, partly as a response to the unexpected death of her parents.

Written in 1969, and set in the latter part of the 19th Century, the novel tells the story of Caro, the younger daughter of two archaeologists, who has grown up in the shadow of their discoveries and of her sister, who is two years older and following in their parents’ footsteps. The Shivering Sands is a great introduction to her work, and had me figuratively on the edge of my seat at various points. Victoria Holt is another of those that I’d vaguely heard of, but had never got around to reading before, and now I want to investigate more of her back catalogue. I’m absolutely loving the various authors and titles that Sourcebooks are resurrecting from the recent past. Historical Romantic Suspense published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 03 Sep 13 Stevie‘s review of The Shivering Sands by Victoria Holt