A Miracle in Paradise: A Lupe Solano Mystery

Spirituality has never been Lupe Solano's strong point-unlike her sister Lourdes, a rather unorthodox nun. But the recently transplanted Order of the Illumination of the Sacred Virgin-a sisterhood well-known for having witnessed actual, Vatican-verified miracles- is predicting yet another miraculous event, scheduled to take place in Miami in one month's time. And Lourdes's Mother Superior has enlisted Lupe's services, hoping that the skeptical sleuth-for-hire can either substantiate the upcoming phenomenon's verity or expose a brazen hoax and its mastermind. October 10th is the date when the blessed icon at the Shrine of the Cuban Virgin will supposedly shed real tears-an occurrence that will electrify Miami's Cuban-American community and rock the nation and the world. Yet probable fraud, as far as Lupe is concerned, is the very least of the sins possibly being committed-a belief that is strengthened by the disappearance of the Order's enigmatic Sister Mary Margaret and the appearance of a dead body floating in the waters of Biscayne Bay. As the date of the anticipated wondrous event draws closer, Lupe's hunt for the truth and a killer becomes a race against time. For there is a dark secret being protected behind the convent's fortresslike walls. And more will surely die before the blessed Virgin weeps, unless one determined investigator can unveil an evil that may be taking refuge in the most sacred of places.