Beneath Madrid

A struggling writer discovers a hidden piece of Spanish history. Will it be his salvation or his downfall?

Donny, an American teaching English in the Madrid, Spain of the Great Recession, is a recovering addict who's spent the last ten years struggling to write a novel. To fulfill his lifelong dream, he's put everything else on hold, including his friendships, career, and starting a family with Alba, the woman who rescued him from his vices.

One day, he spots the remains of a water supply tunnel dating back to the height of the Spanish Empire at a construction site across the street. The discovery becomes an obsession that fuels inspiration for a new novel, but Donny realizes the only way to write the story, and unblock his life and relationship, is to live it.

So Donny embarks on a murky adventure that brings him face-to-face with Madrid's seedy temptations, his own addictions, a seductive politician, and a murderous housing developer intent on keeping the water supply tunnel a secret. Can he navigate his way through the dangers, expose the archaeological crimes, and live happily ever after with Alba? Or will he lose Alba, his sanity, or worse yet, his life?

Beneath Madrid, Jason Paul Barker's stunning debut novel, explores the inner struggle pitting our true selves against whom society has preordained us to be. Dreams and desire clash with conformity in this layered psychological thriller that will not only leave you guessing what’s real and what’s fiction, but wondering how much of our lives are scripted...and by whom.

Just as in his short story collection, Guilt Trips, Barker weaves an accessible, yet emotionally charged and disturbing, tale that will appeal to both readers of page-turning mystery thrillers and more demanding readers of literary fiction alike.