BEACH OF THE DEAD

<p>Escaping a crumbling marriage and a frigid Calgary winter, Shari Shapiro-a retired teacher and an Italian Jewish immigrant-flees to Puerto Vallarta (PV), Mexico. Despite the lush, vibrant surroundings, she grieves her mother''s death. Since family ghosts appear whenever she enters a bathroom, death is never far from her thoughts. Yet she longs to embrace life again. She also struggles with issues faced by other baby boomers such as retirement.</p><p>Eager for tequila to dull her pain, Shari heads to a bar on Playa Los Muertos, Beach of the Dead. Here she meets Carlos, a skittish, but sexy, former revolutionary who mourns the death of his wife. He strongly resembles Subcomandante Marcos, the legendary Zapatista leader, a post-modern Che Guevara. Paramilitaries stalk Shari and Carlos and the danger grows as does their attraction to each other. Together they end up supporting Mexico''s poverty-stricken beach vendors.</p><p><br></p><p>Elena Schacherl was born in Trieste, Italy, and immi