There might be worse fates than spending a few months at Idlewood, Laurie thought, as the Chicago winter howled around her. It was, after all, the the beloved family home where she found comfort and peace as a lonely young girl. Certainly her Aunt Ida's invitation was well intentioned, and she couldn't really have meant what she said: "I have nothing of which to complain, considering my age. I only hope I will be taken before my mind fails. Fairies in the woods, indeed!"
But when Laurie and her brother, Doug, arrive at the family home in the Maryland countryside, they find that things are very different now, and that Aunt Ida may actually have reason to fear. There is no peace in Idlewood. The haunting sound of a distant piping breaks the stillness of a snowy winter's evening. Seemingly random events have begun to take on a sinister shape—and something is indeed in the woods.
Download and start listening now!
"A trip to MD is in order when and Aunt see and hears 'little people'. Laurie and her adopted 'brother' come to get to the bottom of the mysterious goings on. Another good tale from Ms Peters. "
— SJuhl4 (4 out of 5 stars)
“[Peters] keeps the reader coming back for more.”
— San Francisco Chronicle“A writer so popular that the public library has to keep her books under lock and key.”
— Washington Post Book World“This author never fails to entertain.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer“Elizabeth Peters is nothing less than a certified American treasure.”
— Jackson Clarion-Ledger“A high-spirited read that will charm and mystify. Peters light, romantic touch is superb, as is the delightful happy ending.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 stars)" Definitely not one of Ms. Peters' best books. It has the usual mysterious atmosphere and a heroine in danger, but the romance is just a little too ooky for me. "
— Jessi, 1/21/2010" Another I haven't yet read. So far, it's pretty good. Trying not to get too stuck on reading it since I have things to do today though! :)<br/> "
— Lisa, 1/14/2009" Not my favorite of hers! Most of her other ones are so much better, I don't know if I would bother with this one! "
— Heather, 11/7/2008" It was time to read another Mystery. In this one nobody dies! Funny and very clean! "
— Marita, 8/19/2008" Kinda silly...not Elizabeth Peters' best...but a perfect bathtub read, since I didn't really care if it got splashed. "
— Jessica, 7/25/2008" This book was really intriguing. It was not at all what I expected. There were a couple of slow parts, but it keeps you guessing until the very end! "
— Stephanie, 4/28/2008Elizabeth Peters (1927–2013) was a pen name of Barbara Mertz, who earned her PhD in Egyptology from the University of Chicago’s famed Oriental Institute. Over the course of her fifty-year career she wrote more than seventy mystery and suspense novels and three nonfiction books on Egypt, of which many were New York Times bestsellers. She was the recipient of numerous writing awards, including grandmaster and lifetime achievement awards from the Mystery Writers of America, Malice Domestic, and Bouchercon. In 2012 she was given the first Amelia Peabody Award, created in her honor and named after her major fictional character, at the Malice Domestic convention. She also wrote books under the names Barbara Mertz and Barbara Michaels.
Grace Conlin (1962–1997) was the recording name of Grainne Cassidy, an award-winning actress and acclaimed narrator. She was a member of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC, and won a Helen Hayes Award in 1988 for her role in Woolly Mammoth’s production of Savage in Limbo.