Product Description

Barbara Erskine's classic bestseller, the successor to Lady of Hay, at last available as a HarperCollins paperback. In a childless and unhappy marriage, Clare Royland is rich and beautiful -- but lonely. And fueling her feelings of isolation is a strange, growing fascination with an ancestress from the distant past. Troubled by haunting inexplicable dreams that terrify -- but also powerfully compel -- her, Clare is forced to look back through the centuries for answers. In 1306, Scotland is at war. Isobel, Countess of Buchan, faces fear and the prospect of untimely death as the fighting surrounds her. But passionate and headstrong, her trials escalate when she is persecuted for her part in crowning Robert the Bruce, her lover. Duncairn, Isobel's home and Clare's beloved heritage, becomes a battleground for passions that span the centuries. As husband Paul's recklessness threatens their security, Clare must fight to save Duncairn, and to save herself from the powers of Isobel...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #103834 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 768 pages

Review
'Her forte is mood, atmosphere and the toe-curling frisson' Sunday Times

About the Author
Barbara Erskine is the author of Lady of Hay, which has sold well over a million copies worldwide, Kingdom of Shadows, Encounters and Child of the Phoenix. Midnight is a Lonely Place and House of Echoes were shortlisted for the W H Smith Thumping Good Read awards and were followed by Distant Voices and On the Edge of Darkness. Her most recent novels, Whispers in the Sand and Hiding from the Light were both Sunday Times top ten bestsellers. Barbara Erskine's novels have been translated into thirty languages. Barbara Erskine has a degree in mediaeval Scottish history from Edinburgh University. She and her family divide their time between the Welsh borders and their home near the coast of Essex

Customer Reviews

How many superlatives?
This is another magnificent story, with strong characters, rich landscapes and Barbara Erskine's facsinating paranormal themes weaving a magical thread throughout.

Those looking for historical detail will not be disappointed, Barbara really knows her subject, communicating what feels like a psychic connection with the people and places of her ancestral past to the reader. The two interwoven central characters speak to us of power lost and found, love, loyalty and the fulfillment of destiny. Drama, tragedy, suspense, perfect pace and not for the faint hearted, this is up there with Lady of Hay and Child of the Phoenix as Barbara's finest work.

Brilliant to see it back in print!

Fantastic Reading
Kingdom of Shadowa was my fourth Barbara Erskine book that i have read, and so far it is my favourite, i found it hard to put down. I loved the characters, especially Isobel, as she was such a strong character. I really felt that i was living in her time, and felt all the emotions that she was going through. I also love the way you drift into two different time zones, brilliantly done. I cannot wait to read another Barbara Erskin book, i am absolutly hooked.

Completely un-put-downable!
Just about the best book I've ever read. Because the book skips from present time (main character Clare who is a bored wife of a cruel city investment banker) and past time (main character Isobel who is in love with Robert the Bruce but has been betrothed to a much older man since her childhood)it is like reading two fascinating books at the same time. The book has everything - romance, suspence, drama, ghosts and a host of characters who you just never know what they're going to do next. I don't normally read anything scary, but this book draws you in, and although you feel yourself apprehensive about turning the page at times, you simply HAVE TO find out what happens next. I thoroughly reccommend it to anyone, and in fact my copy is already being enjoyed by a work colleague!