Mystery lover, Paloma Marquez, goes with her mother to spend a month in Mexico City. While there she meets, sister and brother Lizzie and Gael, but before she even knows their names they pass her a strange note asking for her help with a ‘life or death’ situation. Life or death !? Paloma loves mysteries, in fact she’s obsessed with her favorite mystery series featuring Lulu Pennywhistle, super awesome girl detective. But can she solve a real life mystery? Lizzie and Gael seem to think so.

The mystery centers around Frida Kahlo, a famous artist, has items on display at La Casa Azul in Coyoacan. Her husband locked many of her treasures in their home’s historic bathroom, a stronghold that stayed locked until 2002. (This part is true.) Now one of her treasures, a beautiful peacock rink, has been stolen and an innocent man thrown in jail for its theft. (And that’s where Paloma’s fictional adventure begins.)

Paloma is followed, threatened, and lied to the people she thought she could trust. But through it all she puts on her Lulu Pennywhistle brains and works to solve the mystery of the missing ring.

In addition to an intriguing mystery, Cervantes weaves a thread throughout her book about the importance of family, finding a connection with those in your life and with those that were lost too soon — Paloma lost her father at a young age and struggles to gather memories of him through others; her new friends, Lizzie and Gael, are trying to reconnect with their own father.

Heartfelt and full of gotcha twists, ME, FRIDA, AND THE SECRET OF HE PEACOCK RING is a great read. Well done, Angela!