Customer Reviews
An intriguing mystery at its core - By: R. Nicholson-morton, 20 Oct 2008 
The main character is Jenny Bucknalll, who is recovering from a car crash when she discovers she has inherited half of La Finca Piedra from a Spanish artist, Juan Garcia. The mystery is that she didn't know her benefactor & nobody seems able or willing to help her get to the bottom of it. When she's well enough, she visits the finca & is stunned to find a great deal of the place is familiar, yet she'd never been there... Worse, she finds hanging on the walll a nude portrait of her - executed by the dead Juan.
While there is no great villain of the piece, there is an unpleasant writer of anonymous letters who seems to know more than Jenny about Juan's past & possibly hers too.
The co-owner of the finca is Eduardo, the younger half-brother of Juan. Attractive & used to getting his own way, Eduardo is in politics & doesn't want Jenny there. He's determined to buy her out. She stubbornly refuses, drawn by the mystery of the finca. This stubbornness & independence causes her much grief as, like a moth to the flame, Jenny is drawn to Eduardo...
The blurb suggests that some aspects of the book are racy; in fact, they're erotic, & well done. Indeed, this is an adult bittersweet romance with an intriguing mystery at its core.
Barnett has infused these two main characters with life. Like other accomplished novelists, Barnett has made his characters live with the reader & inhabit your mind during the reading process. His familiarity with Spain & the people is evident & lends authenticity to Jenny's emotional journey of discovery; discovery of self & the long concealed past.
There are no easy answers, it seems; I found this to be a satisfying well-written novel.
Forbidden passion, mystery and intrigue - this story has them all - By: Mauren Elizabeth Moss, 17 Oct 2008 
Have you ever desired someone you reallly don't like? Set in the magnificent hills of the northern Costa Blanca, this story covers a sweeping range of emotions. Intrigue, deception, disappointment, anger & passion - they are alll here, simmering beneath a surface a self control, as the leading characters' mutual distrust turns into lust & even fear.
A riveting & racy read.
Superb - By: Mrs. B. M. Dix, 01 Jul 2008 What a great find & what a debut.
Finished Mr. Barnetts book in just one day. I cant say fairer than that. The book is a real page turner. Jenny at once captures you & what makes this more appealing is the fact that the lead character is a woman & the book was written by a man. A spellbinding, sympathetic novel by a welcomed new writer.
Wheres the next Mr. Barnett
Highly recommended! - By: B. Gandee, 26 Apr 2008 I enjoyed this book tremendously, though didn't get the ending I desired. I look forward to the next instalment as I understand there will be a follow-up to this novel.
