The announcement stuns people through-

out the world--especially six who believe

their own lives can be saved or changed by

the news. The word from the Vatican is

that the Virgin Mary is returning to

Lourdes this very year to perform another

miracle cure.

Thousands of people are drawn to the

grotto where the Virgin Mary first

appeared before the young peasant girl

Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. Many have

staked their very lives on The Reap-

pearance. But will the miracle in fact take

place?

So begins Irving Wallace s most inge-

nious and compelling work since The Word,

a sweeping novel about Lourdes and a mir-

acle that holds the world enthralled. Set

against the background of the most popu-

lar pilgrimage site in the world--and the

often mysterious and surprising story of

St. Bernadette herself--The Miracle has

everything we ve come to expect of Irving

Wallace at his best: rich, authentic detail;

intricate, fast-paced plotting; suspense;

and vividly realized characters.

Wallace takes us to the extraordinary

mix of true faith and commercial exploita-

tion that is Lourdes today, from the cura-

. tive baths to the shoddy tourist traps to

, the desperately hopeful pilgrims, waiting

for a sign.