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The Third Secret

by Steve Berry (Goodreads Author)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 5,964 ratings · 383 reviews

Explosive in both its pace and its revelations, The Third Secret is a remarkable international thriller. Bestselling author Steve Berry tackles some of the most controversial ideas of our time in a breakneck journey through the history of the Church and the future of religion.

Fatima, Portugal, 1917: The Virgin Mary appears to three peasant children, sharing with them three...more Explosive in both its pace and its revelations, The Third Secret is a remarkable international thriller. Bestselling author Steve Berry tackles some of the most controversial ideas of our time in a breakneck journey through the history of the Church and the future of religion.

Fatima, Portugal, 1917: The Virgin Mary appears to three peasant children, sharing with them three secrets, two of which are soon revealed to the world. The third secret is sealed away in the Vatican, read only by popes, and not disclosed until the year 2000. When revealed, its quizzical tone and anticlimactic nature leave many faithful wondering if the Church has truly unveiled all of the Virgin Mary’s words–or if a message far more important has been left in the shadows.

Vatican City, present day: Papal secretary Father Colin Michener is concerned for the Pope. Night after restless night, Pope Clement XV enters the Vatican’s Riserva, the special archive open only to popes, where the Church’s most clandestine and controversial documents are stored. Though unsure of the details, Michener knows that the Pope’s distress stems from the revelations of Fatima.

Equally concerned, but not out of any sense of compassion, is Alberto Cardinal Valendrea, the Vatican’s Secretary of State,. Valendrea desperately covets the papacy, having narrowly lost out to Clement at the last conclave. Now the Pope’s interest in Fatima threatens to uncover a shocking ancient truth that Valendrea has kept to himself for many years.

When Pope Clement sends Michener to the Romanian highlands, then to a Bosnian holy site, in search of a priest–possibly one of the last people on Earth who knows Mary’s true message–a perilous set of events unfolds. Michener finds himself embroiled in murder, suspicion, suicide, deceit, and his forbidden passion for a beloved woman. In a desperate search for answers, he travels to Pope Clement’s birthplace in Germany, where he learns that the third secret of Fatima may dictate the very fate of the Church–a fate now lying in Michener’s own hands.(less)

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published May 17th 2005 by Ballantine Books (first published January 1st 2005)

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Feb 22, 2012 Ty rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is exactly what I am looking for in a novel! Good pacing, a compelling story about concepts that are mysterious and bigger than any one person, with interesting characters that do not get too bogged down in their own psychology. It will no doubt be hated by anyone who subscribes to organized religion, but for me, the intrinsic intrigue of all things Papal, (Vatican Politics), combined with the ever present pull of the supernatural makes this a winning combination.

The writing is descriptive...more

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Feb 12, 2008 Nancy Oakes rated it 3 of 5 stars

Here's the deal: if you hated the DaVinci Code for its content, you'll probably really hate this one. Me, I know it's fiction (like the DaVinci Code), so the content didn't really bother me. But I think I was a wee bit disappointed in the story; I guess I expected something a little more earth-shattering as far as a revelation at the end. I was hoping for something a little more explosive, I suppose. Oh well. I saw this book reviewed on Amazon by one customer as "an insult to all Christians..."...more Here's the deal: if you hated the DaVinci Code for its content, you'll probably really hate this one. Me, I know it's fiction (like the DaVinci Code), so the content didn't really bother me. But I think I was a wee bit disappointed in the story; I guess I expected something a little more earth-shattering as far as a revelation at the end. I was hoping for something a little more explosive, I suppose. Oh well. I saw this book reviewed on Amazon by one customer as "an insult to all Christians..." I mean, get real! Read the blurb in the dust jacket then decide if you want to read it or not. It's FICTION, okay??? If you're easily insulted, don't read it!

Having said this, let me try a brief synopsis:
The "Third Secret" is the last of the secrets entrusted by the Virgin Mary to three children back in 1917 in Fatima, Portugal. Personally, I'm fascinated by the whole phenomenon of Virgin Mary sightings...in tortillas, in a grilled cheese sandwich, on windows, in blotches on the street. But then again, I have always been interested in goddess literature and studies relating the Virgin Mary to vestiges of goddess worship. Moving right along, there were 3 messages in total given to these children. Berry examines the notion that the third of these, made public by John Paul II in 2000, was not the actual message...that there was a plot to cover up its real contents because it would shake the faith of the modern Catholic world. The girl, Lucia, who received that message, was in her 90s at the time this secret was made public and according to Berry's novel, her hearing was failing, her eyesight bad, and she had been sworn to secrecy, yet she confirmed that the message made public by the pope was the one given to her by the Virgin Mary.

In Berry's novel, he notes that these documents were contained under lock and key in the Riserva, the private archives so secret that only the Pope could go in there and have access to the documents stored there. In the story, a number of popes knew the true secret, and in the case of John XXIII, he wept while reading it. As the novel opens, we are in the reign of Pope Clement XV, a German pope who knows the secret and is troubled by it. He has been on the papal throne for 34 months and he is torn because he knows he should let the world know, but also knows that he would be tearing the Catholic world apart once he reveals the secret. He sends a friend Colin Michener, a priest at the Vatican, to Romania to contact a Father Tibor, currently working in an orphanage there. Father Tibor, it seems, was the translator of the Third Secret, and Clement wants advice as to what he should do. Clement does not entrust the secret to Michener, but sends him on the mission. Now this wouldn't be so complicated, except for the fact that at the same time, the cardinal who did not become the pope in the conclave where Clement was elected, Valendrea, can't wait to become pope and is already exercising his power over those who would support him in the event of the death of Clement. He is one of the nastiest villains I've seen in a long time and I really enjoyed his character. Anyway, he knows something about the third secret and sends his goons and a reporter that Michener was once in love with after Michener to keep track of what he learns in Romania. As Michener learns more, things begin to heat up at the Vatican and the suspense sets in up until the last minute of the book.

If you like books about religious conspiracies, startling revelations & really evil people, you'll like this one. I thought the book was okay; made for an interesting two days and one night of reading. The pace is good, and the book is suspenseful, but to me, I just wasn't wowed by the revelations at the end. I had the most fun with Valendrea's character...what an evil genius!
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Jul 29, 2008 Nicole rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yikes. Forbidden romances with priests, Catholic end-times (but not really), megalomania, divine righteousness, and the war between reform and tradition all crash pell-mell into each other in this wannabe political thriller (with an all-priest cast) that can't quite shake the conspiracy craze started by The DaVinci Code. At first, it was kind of trite. Formerly errant priest struggles with his unconquerable passion for a (rather annoying) hard-nosed, independent journalist while doing his best t...more

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Mar 27, 2009 David Burgett rated it 5 of 5 stars

I enjoy sweeping thrillers that involve a lot of characters and locations. Steve Berry has, for the past four or five years, been kind of in the middle of my list of liked authors for this type of book. The Third Secret jumped him up a couple of notches.

I'm not entirely sure why, but this book seemed much better to me than the others of his that I've read like The Amber Room and The Charlemagne Pursuit. (Of which, I liked the latter quite a bit and the former not so much.) I think it was that th...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Zaphoddent rated it 1 of 5 stars

Bad, bad, bad!

Just plain idiotic! No one in this book can be considered intelligent. The whole thing is full of annoying caricatures of villains and heroes.

Father Michener: Wimpy priest withhis brain in his pants

Pope Clement: Petty moron masquerading as the good guy

Katherine Lew: Self righteous naive girl (cant’ be called a woman just not mature enough) obsessed with bedding priests. Takes money from the evil villain to spy on her former priest lover who she still loves? Really? Entirely depend...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Kara Jorges rated it 3 of 5 stars

Colin Michener is secretary to well-loved Pope Clement XV, and lately he has become concerned about the pope’s behavior. He seems obsessed with one of the secrets contained within the Vatican’s Riserva, a special room filled with historic documents available only to popes. In 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal, and Clement XV keeps entering the Riserva to read the documents related to the apparition. Clement is an old man, in failing health, and many believe he...more Colin Michener is secretary to well-loved Pope Clement XV, and lately he has become concerned about the pope’s behavior. He seems obsessed with one of the secrets contained within the Vatican’s Riserva, a special room filled with historic documents available only to popes. In 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal, and Clement XV keeps entering the Riserva to read the documents related to the apparition. Clement is an old man, in failing health, and many believe he is not long for the world. His chosen secretary of state, Cardinal Alberto Valendrea, has big plans for his own papacy, just as soon as the annoying current pope is out of the way. He believes Clement is far too liberal, and Valendrea wants to advance his own highly conservative agenda, not to mention his plans for personal glorification. He will allow nothing to get in his way, and if a few inconvenient people have to be murdered along the way, they’re just martyrs for the cause. On errands for the pope, Colin finds himself in Valendrea’s sights, and also finds himself conflicted when the one woman he once loved reappears at critical moments. She’s been hired by Valendrea to find out what Michener’s errands for the pope are all about, but she finds her loyalties shifting back to the man she once loved, even though he left her for the church.

This is a very well-researched novel with plenty of intrigue, but I find that my suspension of disbelief does not translate to religious matters. Catholics or people with an interest in religious practices will likely find a lot of fascinating subject matter in this book, but I fear it was wasted on me. Despite this, however, the book did hold my interest, and the final third was filled with gripping suspense. One big flaw that annoyed me for most of the book, however, was that the reader was left out of the loop. This is one of my least favorite plot devices. Everyone in the story seemed to know all about the Third Secret of Fatima and why it was so shocking, but the author didn’t bother to let us in on the details until near the end. That’s just bad form. If the protagonist knows, I need to know. Rather than making me want to read faster so I can be caught up to speed, this tactic makes me lose interest in the story. Why should I care what’s driving these people to do all the things they’re doing if I don’t know what it is?

Religious differences and that point aside, however, this was a pretty good book. I’m sure some would find the things I did not care for quite fascinating. Steve Berry isn’t the best thriller author out there, but he’s a solid writer and his books are fairly well-plotted and worth reading.
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Jul 04, 2012 Billy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Well done from start to finish!,

As a Dan Brown fan who had read all of Dan Brown's books, I was desperate to find another author who wrote in the same style and on the same type of topics. I was not disappointed by Steve Berry.

This book grabbed my attention very quickly and I finished it in just under a week because I could not put it down. The characters were developed well and very easy to understand. The subject matter, Marian visions and the future of the Catholic church, were also very well...more

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Jan 06, 2011 Patrick Gibson rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: thrill_me_kill_me

All novels of Vatican misdeeds follow a tried and true cast of characters, and formula. The good Pope v. the bad Secretary of State; the Pope's confidant - a good priest on the verge of loosing his faith; the conflicted journalist, in this case doing double-duty as the romantic interest (a knock-out, as usual) and the well placed allies and adversaries of the above, doing battle for the heart and soul of a Church steeped in mystery and locked in crisis - "The Third Secret," is no different.

The...more All novels of Vatican misdeeds follow a tried and true cast of characters, and formula. The good Pope v. the bad Secretary of State; the Pope's confidant - a good priest on the verge of loosing his faith; the conflicted journalist, in this case doing double-duty as the romantic interest (a knock-out, as usual) and the well placed allies and adversaries of the above, doing battle for the heart and soul of a Church steeped in mystery and locked in crisis - "The Third Secret," is no different.

The book's opening chapter, a re-telling of the Blessed Virgin's appearances at Fatima is so poorly written (third grade level,) I almost gave the book a toss, but as a fan of the genre I decided to persevere. I'm glad I did, because Mr. Berry has constructed a page-turner.

Though the characters are stock, Mr. Berry has filled them out enough beyond cliché to make them interesting. If they aren't three dimensional, they are at least 2 ½ dimensional - good enough for a pot-boiler. The villains aren't completely villainous; and the good guys suffer enough turmoil and doubt to ground them.

Mr. Berry is well steeped in the inner workings of the Vatican, and gives new twists to the life of the Curia, the politics of the Church's princes, and the mechanics of papal ascension.

The plot takes some interesting turns as it revolves around the unveiling of a hitherto missing portion of the third secret of Fatima, hence the title. The secret has caused Pope's to tremble, and if revealed will shake the Church to its foundations. Without giving anything away, suffice it to say the Virgin Lady anticipated today's culture wars, and decided to side with the ultra-left wing of Catholicism. The message turns out to be even more laughable than the jokes that it has inspired through the years, and unfortunately for the novel, suspension of disbelief goes right out the window as soon as the secret is revealed. A pity, because I thought Mr. Berry was on to something bigger than a wish-list of ultra-liberal fantasies.

"The Third Secret," is a good beach, or airplane read - perfect for the summer - a cut above "Angels and Demons," though most everything is; but, because of its dénouement, as unsuccessful as any other title in the genre.
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Nov 04, 2010 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Steve Berry must have a deal with Google or something because all of his books make me want to go get on the computer and do some research!

Once again, the book was very well researched and you can tell that by the amount of facts that are in The Third Secret and how amazingly accurate most of it was. I love how he weaves historically significant (and mostly unknown) pieces of the worlds past into a fictional story.

Okay, down to the nitty-gritty. Good book? Absolutely, one of my favorites? Almos...more

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Aug 08, 2012 R.J. rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you enjoy a good thriller set within the walls of the Vatican, this book is for you. The novel is replete with Papal politics, intrigue, mystical experiences and murder. The Third Secret centers on the true events that unfolded in the village of Fatima, Portugal in 1917, when the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children over the period of several months. During the last apparition, 70,000 people (many non-Catholics) witnessed the sun gyrating wildly in the sky, turning a kaleidoscope o...more

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Aug 30, 2009 Caroline Selby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

I do love a "Catholic conspiracy" novel. Steve Berry gets a lot of comparison to Dan Brown, and while I have to agree that Brown's stories are more riveting, personally, I think Berry is the better writer.

I really enjoyed this book. "The Third Secret" is the first I've read from Berry, so I have high hopes for the next one I plan to read. The book was written before John Paul II passed away, but in the story, he had already passed, and a new pope, Clement XV, spends his nights in the Vatican va...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Erika Etherviere rated it 3 of 5 stars

Being a Steve Berry fan, I've been looking for this book for ages so I was ecstatic when I was finally able to buy a copy. I guess my eagerness for the book built up too much expectation and I ended up being disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, I liked the book. Liked, not loved. And I was expecting to love it. Maybe because I expected too much. I love reading about fiction tackling religious controversies, so the premise of The Third Secret immediately got me the moment I read about it.

Overall, the...more Being a Steve Berry fan, I've been looking for this book for ages so I was ecstatic when I was finally able to buy a copy. I guess my eagerness for the book built up too much expectation and I ended up being disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, I liked the book. Liked, not loved. And I was expecting to love it. Maybe because I expected too much. I love reading about fiction tackling religious controversies, so the premise of The Third Secret immediately got me the moment I read about it.

Overall, the story was nice, although some bits of it was kind of slow-paced (I was used to fast-paced Berry novels). The characters were likable enough, especially Michener. I, however, did not grow to like Katerina Lew. Maybe it's her personality... she wasn't exactly a picnic.

The Vatican politics was interesting. It showed how even inside the Church, corruption, deceit and lust for power existed ( After all, we're only human), and I believe cases like that truly exist in modern times. The power-play between Valendrea and Ngovi was subtle but I must admit I was curious on what Ngovi was going to do.

The greatest disappointment I had with this novel was probably the Third Secret itself. Throughout the entire book, this interest, curiosity and mystery was built up around it and its contents... I guess I expected something more from the final revelation. Not that it wasn't earth-shattering, but, I don't know... it just didn't make that much impact. It didn't live up to the hype built by the book.

At the end of the day, I still enjoyed this novel. I'm quite interested on how Ngovi's new Vatican will be like. Gosh, I can only imagine the turmoil the changes he's gonna make will create. I even grew to take pity on Valendrea on his final chapters when he was about to take the pills. That last POV chapter was quite insightful on his character. He wasn't truly that evil. I kind of felt bad for him because I saw how much he really wanted the papacy, how hard he's worked for it, planned for it, and when he finally got it... well, all those years went to nothing. I guess that's his karma.

Am I still a Steve Berry fan after reading this? I guess I still am.
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May 01, 2013 Pmuckala rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reminiscent of Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code," this book held my interest throughout my reading. The short chapters and the surrounding mystery of the message of Fatima with a knowledgable character following many clues reeked of Brown's style. I learned much about how the College of Cardinals works in determining a new pope. It was particularly fascinating since the Church has recently formed a conclave to choose the most recent Pope, Pope Francis. I have been to both Fatima and Rome, so this b...more

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Mar 05, 2010 Don rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-fiction

Enjoyable, quick read. The plot focuses around the third secret of the Marian apparition at Fatima. The book presupposes that there was more to the secret than what was released by the Vatican and Pope John Paul II in 2000. As the story develops, the qualities of faith and devotion as well ambition and greed for power are displayed by the characters, mostly Catholic cardinals and priests, which creates an interesting juxtaposition of good and evil. If one is so inclined, I think the story would...more

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Sep 11, 2009 Joy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: public-reads, historical-fiction

This is the third Steve Berry book I've read and the first one I appreciated and really liked. Credits to the author's thorough research and the way he mixed fact and fiction in one page-turning book. His writing style in this book was really different from the first two I've read (The Romanov Prophecy, Alexandria Link). It had that captivating factor that kept me reading it to the last page. No immature characters, no name-calling, a little sex and a lot of controversy. Religion has always been...more

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Apr 12, 2011 you know that you want my books ;) rated it 3 of 5 stars

One word..... Disapointing.

Ok i loved everything about the first 300 pages of the book. When Steve Berry shared what the secret was I was so disappointed. It is totally against everything that the Holy Fathers gave up their lives for.
Any love is good love.... that is not something that God who is holy would say. Any love is good love...is from the 70's rock group Bachman Turner Overdrive. God is holy and just. He cannot tolerate sin and lying. Only through God's mercy and self sacrifice could ma...more

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Apr 20, 2010 Neil Frankland rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved the Michener character. He is full of turns, twists and is simply perfect, even if he isn't in the eyes of the holy see. This book hinges around the vatican, its doctrines and the people and philosophies surrounding them. Organised religion can be a contridiction to many and its procesess can be arcane to them too, despite the clear inferences that the writer feels the church needs modernising. Yet with understanding towards its history, Berry intricately weaves a story around a leading...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, mysterythrilleretc

So, I'm a Christian and this book was sort of "out there" like the DaVinci Code. I did not think this challenged my faith in any way. The Scriptures are clear about Jesus and the Virgin Mary and when the story diverged from that I knew I was reading a work of fiction. I was able to assert supension of disbelief and enjoy the story.

It was not my favorite Steve Berry novel however. He does such a wonderful job of weaving in history with fiction in his novels, and although the "sighting" portions...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Sandra Howard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller

I got this book during the Filipino group’s Xmas Party! :D
This book kind of reminded me of Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons.
The story also revolved around the Vatican, the Popes but this time it also involved a secret.

The Third Secret was about three secrets that the Virgin Mary entrusted to three peasant children.
This secret had been kept hidden by the Vatican.
It was released in 2000, but was it really?
Did they really release the third secret that the Virgin Mary imparted to the three children?
No...more

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Jan 09, 2009 Tiffany Fatima rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, favorites

This is Steve Berry's best novel so far. The flow of the story was rigid, it maintained a kind of vividness from beginning to end that the reader just can't help but turn the page one after another. Like every novelist, he kept the reader wanting to know what would happen next. The Third Secret is a historical thriller, but the conflict: traditional Catholicism against the hidden truth, and man's stubbornness at believing only what was long believed, against one man's pursuit to open the world t...more

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Jun 15, 2009 Casta rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this story better than some other of Berry's work-- I've read several in the "Cotton Malone" series, and enjoyed this departure from that story line. Catholic-Church conspiracies abound, and interesting theories are presented. Berry seems to have done enough research in each of these topic lines to be able to tell a good story rich with detail, and makes them just-plausible-enough to make the reader wonder if it's all fiction? (That's part of what caused the uproar over "The Da Vinci Cod...more

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May 22, 2011 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Buena novela historica incluye cosas similares a angeles y demonios. Al final le falta un poco, pero en general bien.
Fátima, Portugal, 1917. La Virgen María se aparece a tres niños y les hace tres revelaciones. Dos de ellas son hechas públicas: la primera presagia la II Guerra Mundial, la segunda, la conversión de Rusia. El tercer secreto es guardado bajo llave. En el año 2000 Juan Pablo II desvela finalmente el misterio: el atentado fallido contra el Papa. Pero algo indica que un mensaje mucho...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Dale rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone interested in historical fiction novels

This was the third novel I've read by Steve Berry and it did not let me down. His writing and story telling is some of the best I've read and I've really enjoyed reading his novels and look forward to reading many more of his books.
His stories always reflect a strong level of factual historical information which is blended in with a story which he creates. All of this is written and described in detail and told in a thrilling manner which really keeps your interest.
This story was particularly in...more

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Sep 04, 2009 Rich rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great, great work of story. Perfect page-turner for the genre. The plot is fast-paced. You'd think I really loved the book ...

Except for the underlying plot, the search for the Third Secret of Fatima. As other reviewers have stated, Mary, I guess, has read enough public opinion polls in the 1990s and 2000s to let her voice be heard: "Choice for women. Marriage for priests. Sex between any two who love each other."

Berry actually has the gall to have Mary say, "Your body is yours." Great thought i...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Renee Yesso rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: catholic, crime-mysteries

I loved Steve Berry's first two books, but was very disappointed by this one. So much so, that I haven't read any of his books that have come out since then. It's your normal Da Vinci Code style of suspense and mystery, and it isn't as if most of the book itself is bad. It's the end that made me angry. When we finally discover the third secret of the Virgin Mary, it is stupid, and obviously written to fit his own personal agenda. The Virgin Mary wouldn't have said that. Maybe my little Catholic...more

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Oct 26, 2010 Kaye rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: religious, legal-or-thriller

My first Berry novel that wasn't part of the Cotton to Malone series. This was is set in the Vatican at the end of a pope's life. His secretary Michiner, is having a crisis of faith as he sets about doing the things his Pope tasks him with. I liked the Pope and the hero but the other characters were very stereotypical. Especially the evil Cardinal plotting to be the next Pope. Berry does tons of research and gets the details of the Vatican and ceremonies just right. This plot involves the myster...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Don rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Third Secret was better than I thought it would be after reading the prologue. The book was, in a sense, an education for this non-Catholic. I knew little about Fatima, La Salette, Medjugorge and other Mary sightings and the inter-workings of the Vatican. I was familiar with some of Catholicism's troubled past and was suspicious of its clergy. This book only confirmed those feelings. There are far too many political struggles within the church's hierarchy (and that is true of other churches...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Sam Arnold rated it 2 of 5 stars

REVIEW

If you know nothing about the Vatican and how the Pope is elected then this book will be a rich source of information for you. However, if you are lucky enough to have visited Rome or even just watched Angels and Demons then you will know all the factual information that this book offers. That is in all honestly the only positive aspect of this book. The story is far fetched and not substantial enough to really deserve the 400 pages. The story is slow mainly due to the lack of material to...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Lauren1012 rated it 2 of 5 stars

The best word I can find to describe this book is "tedious". Even as someone who supports the tenets revealed in the end as the Virgin's words, I felt like I was being hit over the head with a hammer. You can also see it coming from a mile away; what else would the Church go to such lengths to suppress? I think it would have been more palatable if it was perhaps just one of the issues (celibacy, homosexuality, abortion, or Papal infallibility) rather than all of them. It just smacks of 'holier t...more

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Aug 29, 2009 Bob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another Dan Brown type search for a missing account of the visions of the Virgin Mary. The current Pope has tasked his assistant to do find the missing document that may, if publicized cause a major shift in Vatican directions. The current Vatican Secretary of State has personal ambitions to be the next Pope and with the help of his aide go to extreme lengths to insure his elevation. The account would also not be in his best interests if made public, so he is also in the hunt to find and suppres...more

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About Steve Berry

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Steve Berry is the New York Times bestselling author of the Cotton Malone series featuring The Jefferson Key, The Emperor's Tomb, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, and The Templar Legacy. He also has three stand-alone t...more

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