BLOODY WATERS

In Lupe's literary debut, the savvy and stylish P.I. is hired by Lucia and Jose Antonio Moreno to find the birth mother of their year-and-a-half old adopted daughter, Michelle. The young girl suffers from a rare, inherited disease that can only be cured through a bone-marrow transplant from the birth mother. However, the prominent attorney who brokered the adoption, Elio Betancourt, runs an illegal baby-selling operation and will not help the family. Lupe's investigations uncover that the source of Betancourt's babies is not south Florida, but Cuba. As Lupe discovers more about this nefarious trade in human beings, the body count begins to mount, including a close friend. Ultimately, Lupe must go by boat to Cuba, with trusted compatriot Barbara Perez, to find Michelle's mother and complete her mission.

Cuban-born, Miami Beach–based Carolina Garcia-Aguilera is the author of ten books as well as a contributor to many anthologies, but she is perhaps best known for her Lupe Solano mystery series.

Her books have been translated into twelve languages; One Hot Summer, her seventh novel, was made into a film for Lifetime Television. Ms. Garcia-Aguilera, who has been a private investigator for twenty-five years, has been the recipient of many awards.