The Butterfly Picnic // A Cluster of Separate Sparks — Joan Aiken

An idyllic, sun-drenched Greek island ... a fortified palace whose ancient walls hid dark and dangerous secrets ... a sardonic millionaire with bizarre tastes and lavish charities ... a disappearing sailboat ... a vanishing corpse ... a gaunt and guilt-ridden sea captain whose one act of kindness precipitated disaster ... and a lovely, impetuous young woman, haunted by memories of a lost romance, threatened by violence and challenged by love. Georgia Marsh went to the Greek island of Dendros in search of a job and to get away to forget her dead lover. Within hours she found herself witnessing the murder of her cousin, being hijacked by Arab Guerrillas, and arriving at the mountain-top fortress that was home to a powerful and wealthy man who hired her to teach the neglected children of his jet-setting friends. There she is snared in a net of international intrigue and danger.