July 25, 2016
“This was a thrilling, yet believable, tale of derring-do in Barcelona and England. Even the Pope got a look-in!” – PosyP
Adam Sheldrake, a young British architect travels to Barcelona for what should be a fairly ordinary holiday. By chance, he meets a beautiful, talented, twenty-seven year old Italian artist, Caterina Fonteras at the Olympic Stadium and, from this point, the holiday turns into a life-changing experience for both of them.
With a common interest in Antoni Gaudi, the famous Spanish architect, they visit the Sagrada Família and are drawn into a world of violent fanaticism, resulting in their capture and imprisonment.
This romantic thriller, set in the year 2012 leads the reader into many twists and turns, a major threat to the Catholic faith and some quite extra-ordinary revelations.
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Autho Bio
John Stephen Raynor was born the second of three children in Oldham, Lancashire, in 1944. At a young age, John was found to have Retinitis Pigmentosa, a serious eye condition which would, eventually, lead to blindness.
John’s working life began at the age of 15 when he started working as a junior draughtsman at a local architectural practice. Later, after several years of study, he qualified as an architectural technician and went to work for North West Regional Health Authority.
In the early 1970s, John developed an interest in writing fiction and wrote short stories in his spare time.
With a lifelong interest in electronics, John was asked to study computer programming for the Health Authority and soon became a highly proficient programmer, developing programs for architects, engineers and quantity surveyors.
In 1978, John formed his own computer company, Computential, and two years later he became self employed, spending long hours building up his business. Sadly, towards the end of the 1980s John’s first marriage broke down and, during the unhappy years that followed, John wrote a number of short stories, two of which were broadcast on Greater Manchester Radio.
John married Aleth, who is from the Philippines and who John describes as his soul-mate, in 1993 but the couple initially faced problems with British immigration restrictions. Eventually they prevailed and arrived in the U.K. just one month before the birth of their son. In 1999, John and Aleth’s family grew again with the birth of a daughter.
The rich culture of the Philippines, together with facts from his wife’s traumatic childhood, have provided John with a wealth of material for his novel, ‘A Comfortable Death’ which took him 8 years to write.
John always had many ideas for novels and, in 2009, his romantic thriller, ‘The Gaudi Facade’ was published. Based in Barcelona in 2012, the story was inspired by a travel guide’s comments during a tour of this historic city.
John has been registered blind since the age of 35 and relies on his computer with speech synthesis for both software development and creative writing.
“Have bought this book a while ago and am not usually in the habit of writing reviews or buying books from as-yet-unknown authors, but this plot is really captivating. I obviously don't want to give too much away but it is much the same type of book as those best sellers written by Kate Mosse and Carlos Ruiz Safron - this takes you to another place, another time and makes you shiver with suspense! Brilliant read, especially for holidays in Barcelona!” – Ernest H
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