When an explosion rips through a hermit's cottage in the tall mountains of the Tuscan Apennines and a hermit, Brother Pietro, disappears, neighboring monks believe they have witnessed a miracle. Bishop's assistant Father Sergio calls in Sister Angela to verify the ascension of the man of prayer so that he might be considered for canonization. Wary of the role of proving something without scientific evidence, Sister Angela, hesitates. But Father Sergio gives her no choice, and she travels to the mountain to live among the witnesses at Santo Velo Monastery. Excited by the prospect of a miracle, several brothers admit they actually saw Brother Pietro's body being rocketed heavenward. But was the hermit chosen? Was he worthy of the accolade? None of his brothers seemed to know him well enough to discuss his virtue or spirituality. What makes matters worse is that Brother Pietro is not the hermit's real name. The nun seems to be stymied by the Church in her attempts to discover who the hermit was before he came to the hermitage. Looking for the truth, her investigation takes her to another diocese and finally to an international electronics company. But the story of the hermit's past eventually comes full circle. Marriage, family and devotion to God clash with money and power. The future lies in the bread of life-Il pane della vita.

In the quiet hill country of Italy, Bernardo's body is discovered propped up against the statue of St. Francis of Assisi in the medieval church where for years he served as altar boy. A red cell phone, presented to local nun and teacher, Sister Angela, by Montriano Police Inspector DiMarco, alerts her of the crime. Her investigative abilities are needed to solve this perplexing case. Complicated by pressure from the bishop's deputy, Father Sergio, who questions the compatibility of her role as part-time police detective with her teaching vocation, the nun struggles to understand the victim's relationship to the powerful families involved in the production of l'oro verde, the region's famous olive oil; its green gold. Sister Angela and the inspector learn that young Bernardo was not who he seemed to be. Power, deception, love, and the darkest of family secrets rock the small village and the olive orchards and vineyards that cloak the landscape around it.

Fallen former New Zealand detective constable Gideon Cooper has trouble keeping his mouth shut, his ass sober, and his pants zipped. The last person he needs for a partner is Maori detective John Winks, who believes that only a Maori detective can solve a crime in the Maori community. But Cooper needs the money. So when a body is found in the New Zealand swamp and the Department calls Cooper in on the case, he agrees. Murder, deception, and politics are about to keep Cooper and Winks knee-deep in muck. The pukeko have found a way to survive in the bogs. Can this partnership do the same?