The Moon-Spinners, 14

Impetuous and attractive, Nicola Ferris has just arrived in Crete for a holiday when she sees an egret fly out of a lemon grove. On impulse, she follows the bird's path into the White Mountains. There she discovers a young Englishman who, hiding out in the hills and less than pleased to have been discovered, sends Nicola packing with the order to keep out of his affairs. This, of course, Nicola is unable to do, and before long events lead to a stunning climax among the fishing boats of Agios Georgios Bay.

In this bestselling novel, first published in 1963 and made into a successful movie starring Hayley Mills the following year, Mary Stewart, in her magical way, evokes Crete as she has Delphi, Provence, Northumberland, and the Hebrides in her other books. With her keen delineation of character, she once again casts a spell of suspense and romance.