The romantic suspense novel When the Siren Calls is set against the backdrop of a dodgy tourist development in the hills of Tuscany. Jay Brooke, the master persuader adept at using his skills in the boardroom and the bedroom, makes his pitch to old college buddy and hard-nosed investor Andy:
(Andy to Jay): “So, the plan is we renovate these properties, sell them at a fat profit, then the people who’ve bought them hand them straight back over to us so we can rent them out at another fat profit?”
“Right, they get to own a dream holiday property plus a guaranteed rental income. Everyone wins.”
Andy leant back, as if a better view of Jay was an aid to judgement. “So the key to the whole scheme is really the rental income. That’s the carrot to buy.”
“And the carrot to give the property back to us to rent. It’s a proven model in places like Dubai. It’s just that no-one’s done it in Tuscany.”
“And the timeshare sales are the cream on the cake?”
“Right again. Though it beats me why anyone would part with good money to put a yoke around their neck, but that’s the timeshare business, and who are we to argue with the customer?”
A seductive pitch from a true siren. This is however as much as the reader gets to know about the mechanics of Jay’s scheme – my editor wisely left the details on the cutting room floor. This is, after all, a book about human relationships, not about the perils of timeshare and overseas home ownership. Yet the reader quickly discovers that the dreams of honest and everyday people of a life under the Tuscan sun soon turn into their worst nightmare.
As the story moves towards its climax, Jay remains unrepentant. “Give me a break Andy, everyone who invested here got what they paid for at a price they were happy with at the time they bought.”
My book makes no judgements. Each character is allowed their own POV on the merits of Jay’s scheme, and it is left to the reader to decide where their sympathies lie. But if you are thinking of buying timeshare, ‘fractional ownership’, ‘property bonds’, or any type of investment in overseas property, $8 to purchase When the Siren Calls may be the best $8 you ever spend!
(When the Siren Calls is available in paperback and eBook at Amazon, B&N, WHSmith, Waterstones, and all good book stores http://amzn.to/T5pZCA)
More information at www.tombarrywrites.com