The Virgin Knows

In Rome,on May 12,1972, crazy Lazlo Toth climbed over a guardrail onto Michelangelo's Pietà and battered a hammer at the statue. 'œI am Jesus Christ!'� he shouted. Carlo Barzini, a merchant from Boston's North End, happened to be there. He snapped a picture, picked up a fragment of the statue's nose, and sneaked out of the chapel. His actions set off an art theft escapade that connected Boston's prestigious museums to the Vatican's coffers.* Carlo's twin sister, Alicia, an operating room nurse with psychic abilities, helps her brother get out of the mess, a mess that's bringing in lots of money. She puts her life-long jealousies aside'”and loses her virginity'”in a wild plot involving kidnapping, murder, an unscrupulous Vatican cardinal and a romance with a fallen priest. The robust, operatic, transatlantic thriller lurches from ribald farce to paranormal phenomena. 'œAs with García Márquez'¦the fantastic'¦is commonplace. A knowing look, a charming book.'�'”RICHARD ELMAN