Publisher's Synopsis
In October of 1866, the Mexican city of Guadalajara had been occupied by the French for nearly three years. After coming off the high of winning the Crimea War in 1856, France was looking to renew the once great holdings of Napolean. This grand plan involved invading a heavily weakened United States from the south. Parts of the divided Mexican government were willing to let France take foothold in their country, but the people at large were not happy about this. Guerilla resistance popped up outside the cities in force, and constantly harassed the elite French taking up residence in their country. La Hacienda Richet was a thirteen-room mansion on a sizable chunk of land on the outskirts of Guadalajara, overseen by the formidable widow, Madame Genvieve. The Madame's beloved maid of twenty-eight years, Ysavel Hererra, has just passed away, which has caused problematic security concerns as the extended family comes in for the traditional twelve-day funeral ceremony. Almost immediately strange undertakings consume the mansion. While the Madame vehemently refuses to accept that her maid is haunting the premises, La Monja de la Cruz, from the nearby Catholic church, seems to think the arrival of the maid's distant cousin, Xiomara Talavera may be the source of this new disturbing activity due to her proximity to all the mysterious deaths. While Xiomara pleads her innocence, she is determined to find the cause of this underhanded mischief, and help the haunting souls rest in peace. But this is not what everyone wants. Will Xiomara be able to survive this funeral, or will she lose herself in the process?
