The Sirena Quest: 0 - Tapa dura

Equal parts rollicking adventure, existential and spiritual quest, and coming-of-(middle)-age tale, this stand-alone set in 1994 from Kahn includes a cameo appearance from series lead Rachel Gold (Face Value, etc.). A wealthy alumnus of Barrett, a prestigious New England college, has challenged graduates to locate the statue of a beautiful woman, Sirena, that's been missing from the campus for 35 years before Barrett's upcoming 150th anniversary ceremonies. If the statue is returned, $23 million goes to the college and $2 million goes to its rescuers. St. Louis lawyer and widower Lou Solomon, as his 20th class reunion looms, agrees to join the quest--and begins a haphazard and, at times illegal, cross-country mission with his three former roomies that is both deeply nostalgic and profoundly transformative. This heartwarming misadventure isn't so much about four middle-aged men finding a statue as about finding themselves.--Publishers Weekly

The New York Times Sunday Magazine piece famously opened: “She has pouting lips and high round breasts. Thousands of men have dreamt of her. Hundreds have chased after her. Two have died in pursuit. Her name is Sirena, she weighs 193 pounds, and she vanished in 1959. Without a trace.”Barrett College’s legendary Greco-Roman sculpture’s fate was still a hot topic in 1970 when four roommates began their freshman year at the New England school. They’ve gone their separate ways for years. But as the 1994 commencement approaches, they are about to reunite to meet a challenge thrown down by a Class of ’59 hedge-fund billionaire. He has pledged a $25 million endowment plus a $3 million purse to her finder(s) if Sirena is restored to Barrett by June 17th, the date of his 35th reunion, the college’s sesquicentennial celebration—and our foursome’s 20th class reunion.Although they are not alone in their pursuit—groups of alumni, including a pair of aggressive and highly-financed classmates, are running down leads across the world—St. Louis lawyer Lou Solomon and his crew come upon an obscure but intriguing clue. It leads them to Chicago where a young lawyer called Rachel Gold may hold key information. As the men race to crack the Sirena puzzle, their quest will transform their lives in unexpected ways.