One of the supreme writers of gothic romance, a compelling storyteller whose gripping novels have thrilled millions.--RT Book Reviews

Her sister's mysterious disappearance will lead her to a deadly secret...

Caroline Verlaine knows something is wrong. Her sister has gone missing and no one can tell her why. The only option is to go where Roma was last seen--an estate with a deadly history.

The Stacy family has lived off the Dover coast for generations, carefully navigating the treacherous quicksands nearby. But the sands aren't Caroline's biggest threat. Everyone here has a secret, especially the enigmatic young heir Napier Stacy. No matter where Caroline turns, the ground she walks is dangerous. And the closer Caroline comes to unraveling the truth, the closer she comes to sharing her sister's fate.

What readers are saying about The Shivering Sands

The feel of this story was similar to that of Rebecca--the sort of dark, shivery, mysterious feeling. The end was WAY better in my opinion, though. Definitely a good read!

This is a five-star historical, romance, mystery, psychological thriller.

The most suspenseful book ever, and many years later, after having read countless Holt books, I can safely say that this is her best work.

One of the supreme writers of gothic romance, a compelling storyteller whose gripping novels have thrilled millions.--RT Book Reviews

She's torn between two men.

One man is her destiny.

The other is her demise.

According to legend, a girl will see her future husband at the time of the hunter's moon. But when the handsome stranger revealed to Cordelia Grant disappears after an all-too-brief encounter, she has to wonder: Was he merely an apparition...or something more?

The memory of her mysterious gentleman continues to haunt Cordelia when Sir Jason Verringer comes calling. It's rumored the dashing land baron murdered his wife and mistress. But Cordelia knows, better than anyone, not to believe in society gossip. And there's no denying that Jason is dangerously compelling. Her future hinges on one choice.

Favel Farrington meets Roc Pendorric on the idyllic Mediterranean island of Capri, where she was raised and lives with her father. Roc sweeps her off her feet, taking her from her home by an emerald sea to the ancient family home of the Pendorrics, in Cornwall. His sister and her family await them with open arms, welcoming young Favel. She is the much anticipated Bride of Pendorric, a name that amuses and flatters her.

The castle is beautiful in its way, but the atmosphere is foreboding. Roc's twin nieces begin watching her carefully; even the stones in the courtyard seem to have eyes. On the walls hang portraits of two other Brides of Pendorric--one of them Roc's mother--who died both young and tragically. Favel's fear increases as Roc seems to be growing more and more distant. Has her courtship and marriage been just a deception?

Soon Favel can no longer dismiss as accidents the strange things happening to her. Someone is trying to kill her and she must confront the very real dangers that surround her.

A gothic thriller full of romance, murder, and mayhem. It begins with a priceless heirloom that turns into a horrible curse...

A parson's daughter, Druscilla Delaney is enthralled by her wealthy, glamorous neighbors--the Framlings--and their handsome son, Fabian. They gift her a priceless heirloom, a beautiful fan, but what happens when this fan turns into a curse? Everything changes.

Beautiful as its peacock feathers may be, the fan hidden deep in the Framling mansion has a legacy of death and destruction. Druscilla has no idea she's been marked by it. Her life is in danger.

Will the fan's dark past prove less of a danger than Fabian Framling himself though? Dark, brooding, and dominating, could he be the one to save her from the fan's cruel fate or do the opposite: cause her death?

Including elements of historical romance and romantic suspense, The India Fan is a spellbinding tale from the Queen of Gothic Romance. Fast paced and gripping for fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Stewart, and Daphne Du Maurier.

A mesmerizing story of blackmail, romance, and deception.--Associated Press

A young woman uncovers her family's dark secrets in this mystery and her connection to a famously cursed gemstone in this Victorian gothic thriller from an internationally bestselling author

To secure her inheritance, Jessica Clavering agrees to a marriage of convenience, but will her handsome new husband's desire for her ever surpass his obsession with a famously cursed opal?

Raised in the shadow of her family's financial ruin, Jessica has never felt as though she fit in. When her only friend, an elderly neighbor, offers her the chance at a new life, she's eager to take it. His only condition: she must marry her son, Joss.

The newlyweds inherit a fabled opal mine in Australia. It's only once they arrive on the faraway continent that Jessica starts to uncover her family's dark past and her connection to the Green Flash, an exquisite and spellbinding opal. The stone arouses a dangerous desire in anyone who sees it--even her husband.

Blending historical romance with elements of the paranormal, The Pride of the Peacock is an exhilarating tale from the Queen of Gothic Romance. Fans of Susanna Kearsley, Daphne Du Maurier, and Kate Morton will be spellbound by classic story of an overseas voyage, a cursed opal, and forbidden desire.

Other Titles from Victoria Holt

The India Fan: Drusilla's glamorous neighbors gift her a priceless family heirloom--a beautiful fans with a terrible curse

The Shivering Sands: Caroline Verlaine's sister has gone missing and no one can tell her why. The only option is to go where Roma was last seen--an estate with a deadly history.

The Time of the Hunter's Moon: According to legend, a girl will see her future husband at the time of the hunter's moon. But when the handsome stranger revealed to Cordelia Grant disappears after an all-too-brief encounter, she has to wonder: Was he merely an apparition...or something more?

What readers are saying about The Pride of the Peacock

The heroine is adventurous, the hero is brooding, and the twists and turns of the story are unexpected, culminating in a surprise but satisfying ending.

It's suspenseful, full of relationship tales, uplifting, and I had a hard time putting it down!

I couldn't put it down. The twist at the end is surprising and reminiscent of Agatha Christie's style. Definitely a classic.

One of Holt's best books.

I loved this book. I have read it over and over again--along with every novel ever written by Victoria Holt!

What reviewers are saying about The Pride of the Peacock

The mysteries drew me in and kept me guessing right up to the end...--The Good, the Bad, and the Unread

This is just story telling at its finest.--Romancing the Book

What everyone is saying about the Queen of Gothic Romance Victoria Holt

Victoria Holt's writing is captivating--Bookfoolery

She spins history with romance and intrigue and always leaves me wanting more.

Holt's stories are spell binding....page turners.

I love her books! I have read all of them again and again. She is a wonderful storyteller.

One of the supreme writers of gothic romance, a compelling storyteller whose gripping novels have thrilled millions.--RT Book Reviews

The past is never far behind....

Ellen Kellaway, orphaned at age five, was raised by wealthy cousins, but was never allowed to forget that her every advantage was owed to the charity of others. However, when the son of a powerful London family asks for her hand in marriage, her world is opened up to untold wealth and social position. She never imagined that such an unlikely dream would come true.

Despite these wonderful new developments in her life, Ellen continues to be wracked by the bad dreams that have haunted her since childhood. What is the meaning of the lifelong nightmare--the image of an unfamiliar room, a door opening and behind it a dreadful presence? Perhaps it is a message urging her to uncover the secrets of her long-lost family--the secrets of the ancient home of the Kellaways on the Far Island, off the wild coast of Cornwall.

Helena Trant was enchanted by everything she found in the Black Forest -- especially its legends. But then, on the Night of the Seventh Moon, she started to live one of them, and the enchantment turned suddenly into a terrifying nightmare . . .

For generations, Victoria Holt has dazzled and entertained millions of readers with her spine-tingling novels of romantic suspense. On the Night of the Seventh Moon is one of her most evocative, magical, and chilling. Come take a journey into a dark and shadowy forest where nothing is as it seems....

On the night of the seventh moon, according to ancient Black Forest legend, Loke, the god of mischief, is abroad in the world. It is a night for singing and dancing. And it is a night for love.

Helena Trant was enchanted by everything she found in the Black Forest--its people, its mysterious castles, its legends and lore. Especially its legends of love. Until the day she started to live one of them and the enchantment turned suddenly into a terrifying nightmare....

One of the best romantic-suspense novelists.--Associated Press

The ship and her captain were supposed to be her salvation, but they both may end up leaving her in deep water

Anna Brett fears she's doomed to be a governess to an English family for the rest of her life. But when the dashing captain Redvers Stretton struts back into her life, she is whisked away from the bleak English countryside forever. But is that such a good thing?

While the charming blue-eyed captain makes Anna forget her troubled past, he is hiding dark secrets of his own. It's no coincidence that Stretton's ship is named The Secret Woman. During their voyage to the South Seas, with a murder dogging her steps and the mystery of a missing treasure haunting her dreams, Anna is forced to confront the clever captain--a man who may have just as many secrets as she.

For centuries the tombs of the Pharaohs had been haunted with this curse. And when to eminent archaeologists died mysteriously, Judith Osmond was certain that they had died because of it. But it had nothing to do with her. Or so she thought.

Then, overnight, everything in her life changed. There was an unexpected inheritance. And Tybalt, a young archaeologist--and the man she adored--asked her to marry him. But Tybalt planned to explore the tombs of the Pharaohs during their honeymoon. And the curse of the kings came to haunt Judith. . . .

The prolific Miss Holt combines suspense and romance with the master's touch.--Boston Herald

One of the supreme writers of gothic romance, a compelling storyteller whose gripping novels have thrilled millions.--RT Book Reviews

She's torn between two men.

One man is her destiny.

The other is her demise.

According to legend, a girl will see her future husband at the time of the hunter's moon. But when the handsome stranger revealed to Cordelia Grant disappears after an all-too-brief encounter, she has to wonder: Was he merely an apparition...or something more?

The memory of her mysterious gentleman continues to haunt Cordelia when Sir Jason Verringer comes calling. It's rumored the dashing land baron murdered his wife and mistress. But Cordelia knows, better than anyone, not to believe in society gossip. And there's no denying that Jason is dangerously compelling. Her future hinges on one choice.