About This Book
Juan Salazar, a successful wine farmer near Concepcion, Chile, has committed suicide but his daughter, Maria hires a Mapuche (indigenous Chilean citizen) private detective, Nahuel Cayancura to investigate his death. Juan bequeaths the vineyard, Riverside, and his investments in equal shares to Maria and her mother, Renata Salazar.
Renata and the vineyard’s Manager, Jorge Martinez, planned to murder Juan and make it appear to be suicide, believing that Renata is the sole beneficiary of Juan’s will. They agree to share her inheritance equally. The murder is successful and the police verdict is suicide. Renata wants to sell the vineyard but Maria is determined to keep it.
Nahuel Cayancura farmed grapes and wine until his vineyard was appropriated by the Augusto Pinochet government. Maria tells him that Renata wants to sell her share of the vineyard. He asks his bank to finance his purchase of Renata’s share and makes her an offer. Maria accuses Nahuel of using confidential information to enrich himself and cancels their agreement.
Maria obtains finance to buy Renata’s share of Riverside from an investment banker in New York, Luke Gleeson who hires two men to sabotage the vineyard and force Maria to default on the repayments, allowing him to foreclose and sell the vineyard at a profit.
Renata and Jorge move to Santiago and Maria is left to run the vineyard and, although Nahuel is the ideal replacement for Jorge, she refuses to hire him.
But can an inexperienced young woman successfully run a large vineyard and, at the same time, establish the truth about her father’s death and deal with the two thugs bent on destroying her?
