Book excerpt: A gothic mystery novel and story of passion and romance set against the backdrop of a timeless Mediterranean landscape, The Wanderess tells of the notorious adventurer Saul and his passion for the beautiful Saskia, a mysterious young orphan girl whom he meets and vows to protect as his child. When Saul's pursuit of pleasure and fortune gets tangled with the quest of this -Wanderess- for her long-lost friend and her own fortune, the two find themselves on a picaresque path that leads them through Spain, France, Italy and beyond; their adventures weaving them deeper and deeper into a web of jealous passion, intrigue, betrayal, and finally, murder. The Wanderess is a love story, a novel of heroism, friendship and romance, portraying the lives of two unsettled vagabonds led by their own strange desires, mutual obsessions, and one single fortune. The Wanderess is the fifth novel by Roman Payne, an author who pushes the boundaries of poetic language, imagination, sexual charge, and psychological mystery-his prose bearing always a timeless quality that transports the reader to far-away lands and times. For more information about the author and his previously published novels, please visit: www.romanpayne.com. Please visit www.wanderess.com for more information about this novel.