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51st out of 205 books
—
115 voters
A Thief in the Night: Life and Death in the Vatican
On the eve of September 28, 1978, Pope John Paul I died unexpectedly-apparently of a heart attack-after a reign of only thirty-three days. Within the Vatican there were serious disagreements about the time of death, who found the body, and the true state of the Pope's health prior to his death. These arguments led to rumors of foul play and conspiracy-variously involving t...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
May 1st 2001
by Penguin Books
(first published October 1st 1989)
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Popes have been assassinated on numerous occasions over the past 1990 years. The first to be poisoned was John VIII. He was also clubbed to death by members of his inner circle after they discovered the poison they had administered to the Pope wasn't working fast enough. Other Popes murdered include John X, Benedict VI, Boniface VII, Paul II, and Alexander VI. So it should come as no surprise, that in the land of "Foucault's Pendulum," conspiracy rumors surfaced immediately when Albino Luciani,...more
Pope John Paul I died suddenly after only 33 days as Pontiff in 1978. Details were murky, and rumors that he was murdered would not go away. The Vatican authorized Cornwell to conduct an investigation in the late 1980s in hopes of closure. The author does not find evidence of assassination but does have plenty of criticism of the Vatican. The book reads like a good mystery.
The most concise and "probably" correct investigation of the death of John Paul I.
Reads quick like a novel and there are some real "charicters," but also full of history and background into the Holy See.
Reads quick like a novel and there are some real "charicters," but also full of history and background into the Holy See.
Bio-fictie, maar van de betere soort. Erg vlot geschreven. Het incident met Johannes-Paulus I is maar de kapstok om de Vaticaanse mentaliteit bloot te leggen en dat lukt ook goed!
Well researched, unbiased investigation into the death of Pope John Paul I. No conspiracy, but tragedy all the same. It appears that being the Pope is a very lonely job.
It consists of many interviews to stake holders in and outside of Vatican, and the discrepancy between them are very interesting for readers. Although the conspiracy theory of Pope John Paul I is very exciting for mass media, I think at least the author succeeded to offer rebuttal evidences against David Yallop's book "In God's Name."
Feb 26, 2007
Leah
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone interested by religious conspiracies
Shelves:
non-fiction
I loved this book. It's a true story about John Paul I and his mysterious death after only 33 days as Pope in 1978. It's a mystery/conspiracy involving the KGB, the Freemasons, crooked finaciers and Vatican officials. Completely engrossing!!! I would read it a second time!
Aug 20, 2009
Karen
marked it as to-read
This is an investigation of the death of Pope John Paul 1. Remember him? he was only Pope for about a month when he died suddenly. Was he murdered? The author set out to discover the truth.
Jun 10, 2013
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Dec 03, 2009 03:24pm
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