The Seville Communion - Tapa blanda

"One of those infrequent whodunits that transcend the genre. . . . [with] page-turning pace and vivid characters. -Time "The master of the intellectual thriller is not an American or British writer, but Spaniard Arturo Perez-Reverte, one of the most creative and devilishly complex authors of the '90s. This is a beautifully and intricately written noir in which unique plots and counterplots abound. Perez-Reverte should be lauded for his originality and his richly drawn characters." -San Francisco Examiner "An elegant thriller that is as much about the elusive quest for happiness as it is about solving the murders. Beautifully translated, this is a book to be savored. It is as rich and complex as the best of the golden sherries produced in the wineries around Seville." -The Denver Post "With a vivid eye for place and personality, and an ability to provoke deep questions, Spain's bestselling author weaves an indelible tale of love, faith and greed that will keep readers shouting ole!" -People (Page-Turner of the Week)

A hacker cracks Vatican security and sends an urgent plea directly to the Pope: Save Our Lady of the Tears. The crumbling Baroque church, located in the heart of Seville, is slated for demolition, and two of its defenders have recently died. Accidents - or murders? The Vatican promptly dispatches Father Lorenzo Quart, their worldly and enormously attractive emissary, to investigate the situation and track down the hacker, known to the Vatican only as Vespers. Father Quart's search for Vespers leads him to Father Priamo Ferro, the coarse and zealous parish priest, who has the full devotion of his small flock; Sister Gris Marsala, a former nun from California who is determined to restore the church; Pencho Gavira, the ambitious young vice-chairman of the Cartujano Bank; his estranged wife, Macarena, a perfect Andalusian beauty whose aristocratic family is closely linked to the church's history; Macarena's mother, the Duchess of El Nuevo Extremo, an elegant insomniac with a taste for Coca-Cola; and Honorato Bonafe, a tabloid reporter bent on getting the dirt on everyone. Father Quart is slowly seduced by the splendor of Seville - and the beauty of Macarena. As time runs out on the church, he is caught between powerful developers who have a stake in Our Lady of the Tears and his loyalty to the Vatican and his own vows.