The Spanish novelist follows up his reimagining of da Vinci's most famous painting in The Secret Supper (2006) with this curious exploration of the legend of the Lady in Blue, a seventeenth-century nun who, while in a trance state, would (or so the story goes) appear to people far away. (It's called bilocationbeing in two places at the same time.) The novel focuses on a modern-day Spanish reporter, who, while investigating a story involving the shroud of Turin, discovers a convent founded centuries ago by the Lady in Blue. Intrigued by the legend and determined to find out the truth behind it, the reporter follows the trail to the U.S., where a woman with unique gifts might hold the answers to his questions. At once a paranormal thriller and an exploration of an enduring religious enigma, the novel is intellectually engaging and elegantly written. Fans of Sierra's previous novel should definitely read this one.
