In THE MIRACLE it has now been almost 130 years since the apparitions at Lourdes and the Vatican has recently discovered a journal kept by St. Bernadette in which she recorded three secrets told to her by the Virgin Mary. The first two were intended for Bernadette personally but the third was a promise that the Virgin Mary would return during a Reappearance Time and perform a miracle. That time is now and Pope John Paul III has authorized that the news be made known to the world. The announcement understandably creates a furor and thousands upon thousands of people flock to Lourdes in hopes of being the one to receive a cure.

Amanda Spenser and her fiancee Ken Clayton, are planning their wedding when Ken learns that he has advanced bone cancer and needs an operation immediately if he hopes to survive. Ken's parents are devout Catholics and when Ken learns about the upcoming reappearance of the Virgin Mary he decides to forego the operation that could save his life in order to visit Lourdes and pray that he will be miraculously cured. Sergei Tikhanov, veteran foreign minister of the Soviet Union, learns that he will be named Premier after the current holder of that office suffers a crippling stroke. However, he himself has just been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, sees the newspaper articles about Bernadette and decides to travel to Lourdes under cover. Natale Rinaldi is a young Italian woman whose career as an actress was cut short when she was suddenly afflicted with a rare form of blindness. She is a woman of strong faith and decides to make the pilgrimage to Lourdes in hopes that she may regain her sight. Edith Moore is a middle-aged British secretary who was cured of bone cancer after taking the waters at Lourdes several years earlier. She has just been informed that the Canonical Commission will be proclaiming her to be the seventieth person miraculously cured at Lourdes and so travels there to receive the declaration in person. Her husband, Reggie, always looking for a new scheme to make money, has other ideas and intends to use his wife as a marketing ploy to get rich.

But not everyone is going to Lourdes seeking a miracle. Liz Finch is a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press who travels to Lourdes hoping to discredit the story of Bernadette and expose her as a fraud. Mikel Hurtado, a member of a Basque freedom organization, has plans to travel to Lourdes to blow up the grotto in order to make a political statement and advance the cause of his people.

THE MIRACLE is an excellent and unusual tale with a wonderful surprise ending. Mr. Wallace does a superb job here of telling the story of St. Bernadette and the history of Lourdes in the context of a modern day thriller, and in my opinion, also presents a very inspiring testament to the power of faith and the existence of miracles. If you are already familiar with Bernadette and the story of Lourdes you will be particularly captivated by this novel. St. Bernadette is my namesake and has always held a special fascination for me. I was truly delighted to come across this book. It is exceptional and I highly recommend it!