The shivering sands - Victoria Holt

When Caroline Verlaine's sister, Roma, disappears, Caroline travels down to Lovat Stacy on a quest to uncover the truth. There, she finds herself caught up in the drama of that ancient house and the unusual members of the Stacy family.

When Caroline Verlaine's sister, the archaeologist Roma, disappears, Caroline is forced down to Lovat Stacy in an attempt to discover what has happened. She finds herself caught up in the drama of the ancient house and with the unusual members of the Stacy family. But it is Napier Stacy, recently returned from years of banishment for apparently killing his brother, who she is especially drawn to.

Napier is haunted by the tragedy, and Caroline becomes determined that he should put his past behind him and not allow, what she insists was an accident, to cloud his life for ever. At the same time, she becomes equally determined to solve the mystery of her own sister's disappearance.

Why has Roma vanished? Was it an accident or has she been murdered?

As the tension mounts Caroline soon realizes that this quest to uncover the truth is a dangerous one and is marking her out as the next victim.