Sixteen-year-old Carolina Torres envisions earning extra pocket money to buy a used car when she’s asked to leave her Los Angeles barrio for the summer and assist Tía Matilde with her remote, seaside bed-and-breakfast, Las Mariposas. As soon as Caro steps off the bus, however, she becomes part of the small town’s intrigue. In between changing sheets and serving huevos rancheros, she wonders about the accidental death of the mayor’s son and why the mayor—Matilde’s ex-husband—is wielding his power to force her aunt off her homestead. When the discovery of an old letter by Caro’s great-grandfather hints at a hidden treasure on the property, the Latina Nancy Drew, along with Sara Ruiz, Matilde’s other helper, and Andy Morales, Sara’s “adopted” brother, pieces together her family’s mysteries and saves Las Mariposas in the final hour. Although its resolution arrives too quickly, this light mystery with a resourceful sleuth and a touch of romance will appeal to Hispanic and non-Hispanic readers alike. (Fiction. 11-16)
