An "ecclesiastical thriller" that is "a thoroughly satisfying read"

That's how the Curt Jester (aka, blogger Jeff Miller) describes The Death of a Pope, the soon-to-be-available-to-all novel written by the very accomplished Piers Paul Read. Miller writes:

The novel starts with a trial for a laicized priest who had been working for an international Catholic charity and had been arrested for trying to buy nerve agent. The plot builds from there in the last weeks of Pope John Paul II's life and it follows a serious threat as you might expect from the thriller genre. The main characters follow a range mainly along a faithful Catholic and lapsed/liberal Catholic divide that includes a Cardinal, priests, a reporter, and various personnel from security agencies.

The split between faithful and less than faithful Catholics is part of the plot of the book and some of the dialogue concerns hot issues of the day such as condom use, women priests, etc. Though the book never lapses into just a vehicle for apologetics that is artificial and the issues raised are totally consistent with the plot. One thing I liked though is that the more liberal or fallen away Catholic characters were not described as unlikable stereotypes. They were treated as real people as where all the characters in the book. As you would expect from a novel published by Ignatius Press the sympathy of the book is certainly in an Orthodox Catholic direction - but again I liked it focusing on plot and characters and not making the novel a soapbox which is always a disastrous decision.

"The Death of a Pope" was a thoroughly satisfying read from the start to the end and totally satisfying how the plot resolves. While it is an enjoyable read for Catholics, the novel is quite well written and should see a large audience.

Acclaimed novelist Ron Hansen writes:

Piers Paul Read has managed to combine sheer storytelling power with great learning and insight about the inner workings of the Church to fashion an entertainment of the highest order. If John LeCarre took on Vatican politics, his book of suspense might aspire to be much like this one.

And the inimitable Peter Kreeft states:

If you love the Catholic Church, you will probably love this book whether or not you love a good story. If you love a good story, you will probably love this book whether or not you love the Catholic Church. But if you love both the Church and a good story, you will certainly love this book.

In an interview on the book's website, Read remarks:

Writing is a vocation and, as in any other calling, a writer should develop his talents for the greater glory of God. Novels should be neither homilies nor apologetics: the author's faith, and the grace he has received, will become apparent in his work even if it does not have Catholic characters or a Catholic theme. The question of "the complicity between the author and his characters" can sometimes pose a dilemma: a novelist might show more empathy for, say, Potiphar's wife, or the elders who spied on Susanna, than the devout might think proper. But it is important for the Catholic writer to demonstrate that he is fully human; that he does not flee from evil but confronts it and disarms it in his imagination with the help of that holy wisdom that comes from faith in Christ.

Visit the site for more about the author, the book, and a U.S. book tour, which begins in early May.

Comments

[Ed Peters]

"soon-to-be-available-to-all".

Right Carl. Keeping tell your insider buddies that. Meanwhile, I'll be proud to stand outside in the literary wilderness with the people, in something like a "F451" camping ground. "Hello, I'm Robert Bolt's 'Man for All Seasons.'"

[Carl E. Olson]

Ed: If it's any consolation (I know it really isn't), I am a fellow sufferer. And I have some sort of connection with Ignatius Press, although it is so top secret, I cannot talk about it here...