This series chronicles the life of a middle-aged English caretaker stationed in Greece. His days are shaped by unexpected turns and profound human connections. The narratives delve into themes of identity, belonging, and the search for meaning against an exotic and inspiring backdrop. It's a poignant exploration of one man's journey through life.
Then a guest at the villa - a young woman he had instantly and innocently warmed to - disappears on a mountain peak. The trail leads him back to England, to a world he thought he had left for ever - and a past he has tried desperately to forget.
Harry Barnett is shocked to learn that he has a son--David Venning, a brilliant mathematician, now languishing in hospital in a diabetic coma. And this is only the first and smallest of the mysteries he is about to encounter. David's condition is attributed to an accident or suicide attempt. But Harry discovers that his mathematical notebooks are missing from the hotel room where he was found and two other scientists employed by the same American forecasting institute have died in suspicious circumstances. Driven on by the slim hope of saving the son he never knew he had, Harry goes in search of the truth and finds himself entangled in several different kinds of conspiracy--none of which he ought to stand the slightest chance of defeating. Harry Barnett was the flawed hero of Robert Goddard's earlier novel, the award-winning Into the Blue. But nothing in that experience prepared him--or the reader--for the baffling conundrums and heart-stopping suspense of Out of the Sun
In the spellbinding new mystery by the master of “the clever twist,” a group of ex-RAF comrades journey to a Scottish castle for a reunion. But by the time they reach their destination, two of them are dead. Harry Barnett is leading a contented life in Vancouver with his wife and daughter when he is brought back to England by the death of his mother. He intends to spend just a few days sorting out her affairs when a chance meeting he will regret for the rest of his life makes him change his plans. Two old acquaintances from his National Service days track Harry down to his mother’s house — the last address they had for him. A lavish reunion has been organized to mark the fiftieth anniversary of their RAF days. Harry decides to go. During the war, Harry and his fellow RAF conscripts spent three months in a Scottish castle where they acted as guinea pigs in a psychological experiment. The reunion is to take place in the same castle. It will be a chance to see friends, settle old scores and lay a few ghosts to rest. The party begins on the train up to Aberdeen, until the apparent suicide of one of their number shatters the holiday atmosphere. Their arrival in Scotland seems under a cloud, and when another comrade dies soon after their arrival, Harry is gripped by a sense of foreboding. As well, the recollections of the old comrades of their time in the castle are frighteningly different, and unexplained events from 1955 still haunt them. As Harry tries to solve the mystery of what really happened fifty years ago, he uncovers an extraordinary secret that convinces him he will never leave the castle alive. From the Trade Paperback edition.