Sudden Loss of Serenity

Claire Winston wakes up to face a double disaster. Her teenage daughter Serenity has disappeared overnight. At first she is relieved to know that the murdered woman found in the nearby cemetery is not a teenager, but new horror grips her when it turns out to be Claire's best friend, Marlene. And it's the ritualistic style of the killing that confounds the police.

Fearful that somehow the two incidents are connected, and that her daughter is in grave danger, Claire begins to search for her, and for some explanation as to Marlene's recent change in behavior. She soon discovers that Marlene was practicing Chöd, a form of Buddhism which might help explain her strange death. Is Serenity also involved with this cult? It seems the more she finds out, the less she knows about her daughter. For one thing, she learns that Serenity has a boyfriend who is intent on plastering the city with graffiti. When she finally tracks him down, he and Claire form an odd alliance as they take to the road to rescue Serenity from a guru with malevolent intentions.

A satisfying mystery, which also delves into the mother-daughter relationship, challenges the assumptions of middle-class Americans, and shows how some people deal with their demons.