The prologue takes us deep into the primitive belief of a mother, convinced she has been cursed and must kill her two young daughters, Johanna and Carmen, to free herself from the curse of la Llorona.* The girls manage to escape when the mother "sees'' la Llorona, the crying woman, and with a look of pure fright, flounders her way into the river. She screams that the curse of la Llorona hangs over the girls, then is taken away by the river to drown. This book is a story of ancient belief, terror, and more. Curses have a life of their own. Believe or don't believe and you will probably see all is not as it seems.

Jump forward several years, and Johanna, Joey as her mother had called her, has become a teacher at the high school where young Carmen is a student.. Joey is determined not to give in to a curse, but Carmen seems to be too much like her mother. This story is suspense and terror on steroids. Someone is killing the girls of San Julio High School, students past or present, and recreating the legend of the curse of la Llorona, all four versions of it. Each victim is found floating in the river in a white dress and barefoot, raped and then drowned by an unknown assailant.

A rich suspense from Misa Ramirez, this book will keep you reading well into the night, if you dare. Every clue brings with it more terror. A full out race against time, a killer with an agenda based on a legend and Johanna knows she will be number 4. For some cryptic reason though, the killer has veered away from the legend with the third victim. What does this mean to Joey and the school principal Ray who has taken on the part of Joey's protector? If the rules have changed, how will they know how to figure out the killer's next move and next victim? The police think they have a good case to bring in a suspect, but do they really?

A well-written story, hammering away at breakneck speed to a surprising ending. Quite a bit of sexual content, not surprising considering the crimes, but most is fantasizing. A strong story, an author worth watching.
*The legend of la Llorona is very old and there are several versions throughout the Southwest of the US, as well as Mexico. ( )