<![CDATA[The Third Secret: A Novel]]>

false <![CDATA[The Third Secret: A Novel]]> 127249 16 For Steve Berry, it's a fortuitous coincidence that his third novel, a Vatican-centered conspiracy thriller titled The Third Secret, was published in the immediate aftermath of Pope Benedict XVI's anointment in Rome. While this exuberantly contrived yarn would likely have drawn an audience at any time, it benefits from coming before readers just after they've been primed with news reports about papal succession, the relative influence and legacy of pontiffs, and the increasing tug-of-war between Roman Catholic progressives and conservative traditionalists. Set in the near future, Secret introduces Jakob Volkner--Pope Clement XV--a German "caretaker pope" who, nearing the age of 80, was elected as John Paul II's successor. But three years into his papacy, the thoughtful Clement has begun to quietly express skepticism about papal infallibility and the Church's restrictive dogma, and to make odd requests of his longtime secretary, Monsignor Colin Michener, an Irish-born but American-reared priest whose vows of celibacy have been tested--and found wanting. Clement has also made repeated visits to a guarded sanctum within the Vatican archives, where sacred and historic documents are stored. And he's dispatched Michener to Romania to locate an elderly cleric who, in the 1950s, translated three cryptic prophecies, purportedly offered by the Virgin Mary in 1917 to a trio of children in Fatima, Portugal. Those secrets have since been fully disclosed to the world. Or have they? That's the question facing Michener in the wake of Clement's shocking suicide, as he pursues a twisted trail of clues, crimes, and religious forecasts from Rome to Bosnia to Germany, accompanied by his former lover, journalist Katerina Lew. But making any additional secrets known to the world will put Michener in confrontation with doctrinal reactionaries, led by Cardinal Alberto Valendrea, the Vatican's Italian secretary of state, who's determined to follow Clement as the Vicar of Christ--even if that requires inventing a few new sins and flouting a 900-year-old prediction of doom for the next pope. Attorney-author Berry, praised previously for The Amber Room and The Romanov Prophecy, enriches The Third Secret with glimpses behind the locked doors of a papal selection process and knowledge of centuries-old Catholic prognostications that, while employed judiciously in these pages, nonetheless suggest a prodigious amount of research. He's less successful with his casting. Valendrea is a wincingly unnuanced scoundrel, and Ms. Lew achieves scarce definition beyond being a raven-tressed temptress to powerful prelates. Thankfully, Berry does better by Michener, who finds himself at a crossroads, carrying on in Clement's name even as he searches for confirmation that his own life of devotion and service has been meaningful. Although the secrets "revealed" in this tale seem more controversial than plausible, and a potentially intriguing subplot about the excommunication of a maverick priest ends up as a throwaway device, The Third Secret builds to a conclusion that is as suspenseful and stunning as it is inevitable. Have faith. --J. Kingston Pierce 72567 17 5 2005 The Third Secret: A Novel of Suspense total:1291|5:249|4:458|3:425|2:125|1:35| 1291 4633 1740 159 3 1 false false Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Tue Feb 12 08:49:00 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 12 08:49:00 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 21 07:23:12 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 29 05:59:03 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Mar 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 27 22:04:19 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 27 22:13:37 -0700 2009 The Third Secret jumped him up a couple of notches.

I'm not entirely sure why, but thi...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Feb 23 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 12:29:10 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 12:34:34 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 22 18:58:52 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 14:16:39 -0700 2009
I really enjoyed this book. "The Third Secret" is the first I'...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Apr 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 07:52:34 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 19:24:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jan 07 06:05:08 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 20:50:29 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jun 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 14:01:55 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 18:53:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Mon May 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 20:50:32 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 20:59:02 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Sep 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 09:25:57 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 08:21:22 -0700 2009
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...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 04:49:57 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 29 14:50:17 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Sun Sep 02 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Jan 27 19:59:27 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 27 20:01:25 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Wed Aug 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 07:52:44 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 08:31:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 25 18:10:02 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 12 03:04:36 -0700 2009 2
It is just that, however, complete...more...]]> 1 0 false true Tue Feb 24 12:48:27 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 24 12:51:01 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Sep 01 05:58:19 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 01 06:02:54 -0700 2008
This book is primarily set in the Vatican with side trips to Germany and Bosnia and the "Secrets" are based on Marian visions and their meani...more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Jan 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Aug 17 19:24:47 -0700 2008 Mon Jan 19 22:20:56 -0800 2009 Once
The characters, especially the villains, morph from being fallible humans to being stereotypes. V...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Aug 09 16:18:06 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 09 19:22:03 -0700 2008
The basic story revolves around Jakob Volkner (Pope Clement XV), a German pries...more...]]> 2 0 false true Sat Jun 07 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jun 04 12:05:49 -0700 2008 Sat Jun 07 12:01:35 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Aug 26 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Feb 29 05:33:26 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 29 05:35:29 -0800 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=3094259