BOOKS
Tales from a Mountain
a Collection of Short Stories
A couple banished from their village fulfil their dream of a happy life against all odds . . .
An attorney confronts the ghosts of her past when the clan behind the murders of her parents and brother finally confess . . .
A little girl reveals her bravery as she treks miles from her isolated village to get urgent medical help to her father . . .
This captivating collection of ten fictional short stories convey the ordinary and often extraordinary lives – as well as the customs and traditions – of people living in one of the highland regions of South East Asia.
Behind The Mask
Following a frantic phone call, journalist Maya Wara-Smith is forced to put her quiet, comfortable life in the Scottish Highlands on hold. Her cousin’s young daughter, Nina, has been kidnapped in the Philippines, Maya’s home country, and is feared dead. Sick with worry, Maya boards the next flight to Manila, leaving her husband Keith, a retired secret agent, to look after things at home.
As Maya battles to locate Nina before it’s too late, she is devastated to witness the changes her beloved homeland has undergone in the 20 years since she left, after meeting and marrying Keith on the idyllic Philippine island of Puerto Galla.
Back then, she and Keith were instrumental in uncovering a major paedophile ring; now a political system riddled with corruption and the widespread use of the illegal drug shabu has caused the Philippines to be dubbed ‘the sick man of Asia’.
The election of a new president and a major drugs crackdown has finally brought hope to Maya’s troubled homeland, but little does she know that her vocal support for the new leader and her appearance on Philippine TV has put her own life in grave danger…
