Overview
Hearing news of an impending raid by Immigration officials, Jill-of-all-trades Alex Adler rushes to Monte Cassino, an island retreat off the Maine coast known for harboring South American refugees. She finds the island deserted and, trapped by the tide as a fierce Nor'easter hits, she stumbles into a cabin for shelter - only to discover the body of a vaguely familiar man. Waiting out the storm she puzzles over the murderer - Was it the charismatic but eccentric Santa Clara, an expelled nun and hub of the community's universe (not to mention the ex-lover of Alex and many other women)? Or another of the refugees, drifters and quirky locals who make up this unusual community?Synopsis
Hearing news of an impending raid by Immigration officials, Jill-of-all-trades Alex Adler rushes to Monte Cassino, an island retreat off the Maine coast known for harboring South American refugees. She finds the island deserted and, trapped by the tide as a fierce Nor'easter hits, she stumbles into a cabin for shelter - only to discover the body of a vaguely familiar man. Waiting out the storm she puzzles over the murderer - Was it the charismatic but eccentric Santa Clara, an expelled nun and hub of the community's universe (not to mention the ex-lover of Alex and many other women)? Or another of the refugees, drifters and quirky locals who make up this unusual community?
Library Journal
After discovering the body of an immigration officer on a small island off the coast of Maine that is used as a religious retreat, Alexandra Adler tells how the island and its spiritual retreat came into existence, how she became emotionally involved with its co-founder, Sister Santa Clara, and how its members smuggled illegal aliens into Canada. More introspection than mystery, Saum's latest meanders and lacks suspense; however, it does offer a fan-worthy alternate version of her Murder Is Germaine (New Victoria, 1991).