Adam Craig is fourteen years old when his mother disappears, leaving him in the care of his harsh presbyterian father in a lonely manse in the Scottish Highlands. He meets Brid, a girl of about his own age, whose exotic, gypsy-like dress and strange attitudes fascinate him. They become friends, then, in time, passionate lovers.

Brid is not, however, the romantic gypsy she seems, but a traveller from the sixth century instead. Training as a priestess of the old faith, she is mistress of a powerful and dangerous magic. She eventually only escapes death by following Adam to Edinburgh when he finally leaves home to study medicine.

As time passes, Adam tries to forget her and make new friends and a new life. For fifty years, from Scotland to England and then to Wales, however, Brid will haunt Adam and his family like an evil shadow. It is only Adam's granddaughter, Beth, who will help him discover the secret that will free them from the terror of Brid's curse.

About the Author

Barbara Erskine is the author of the internationally bestselling novel Lady of Hay, which has sold well over a million copies worldwide. This was followed by another bestseller, Kingdom of Shadows, and by her first collection of short stories, Encounters, which met with wide popular acclaim. Her novels have been translated into twenty-three languages. She has a degree in medieval Scottish history from Edinburgh University and divides her time, with her husband and two sons, between the Welsh borders and their ancient manor house near the coast of North Essex.

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2.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars WHERE PAST AND PRESENT COLLIDE..., Dec 12 2007

By	Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This is a well written, compelling story of a love that intersects the past, as well as the present. An excellent piece of paranormal fiction, it keeps the reader riveted to the pages.

The story begins in the nineteen thirties, when a fourteen year old boy named Adam, while traipsing in the isolated crags of the Scottish highlands near an ancient Celtic stone, meets a girl named Brid whom he mistakes for a gypsy, due to her wild, long hair, and her exotic style of dress. Unbeknownst to him, a portal in time has opened, allowing Adam and Brid, who is actually a Druid from the sixth century, to cross back and forth in time. Adam, however, does not realize that he is actually travelling back and forth in time, while Brid is not only fully aware of what is happening, but is doing so in contravention of what her uncle, a high priest to the Druids, and her training have taught her.

Over time, she becomes obsessive about Adam, who is her first love, while Adam, as he grows up, moves on with his life. In leaving the heartsick Brid behind and consigning her to his memories, he takes his life in a seemingly new direction.

Brid, on the other hand, forsaking the teachings of her people and incurring the wrath of her powerful uncle and a sure sentence of death, is dead serious about Adam, and she goes through the time portal in search of him. Adam, who has by now left home to go to medical school, is unaware of her obsession and of the lifelong quest now set in motion.

Over the years, Adam makes new friends, becomes a doctor, gets married, and has a family, but Brid, trapped in the wrong time, begins to haunt them all, as she searches for Adam. Her obsession with him finally turns deadly, and the body count begins, as she seeks to tear him asunder from all whom he holds dear.

It is only fifty years into the nightmare that this obsessive love is finally put to rest. How this happens, and at what cost, will keep the reader turning the pages of this well written and imaginative novel.

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3.0 out of 5 stars on the edge of being a bit too long, Mar 30 2006

By A Customer

This review is from: On the Edge of Darkness (Audio Cassette)

I liked the story. The character development could have been better. The story would have kept my interest had it gone on a diet shedding 150 pages in the middle. There is a nice tension through the book, although I'm getting tired waiting for the relief. I will finish reading it, the ending looks good, (I peeked so I could know if it was worth it) but I won't stay up late into the night reading this one.

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2.0 out of 5 stars I wish I had read the above review..., Sep 20 2003

By A Customer

I wholeheartedly agree with the above review, and I wish I had seen it before I spent good money on this book. The story concept is intriguing (time travel, neolithic and modern day romance which goes wrong) but the writing is terrible. The story jumps around, things happen too fast and character development is poor. But I managed to get through it.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Not her best one
Almost done reading this book. THis book is definately not like her other ones. IT just drags on and on , back and forth and back and forth...dont waste your money on this one.

Published on Jan 17 2003 by anne