An excellent book that keeps you guessing right till the end! Ben,the main character of the book comes back to his home town
to meet with his sister Val a nun. Val isn't your ordinary nun, but awriter who has been lookinginto thecatholic churches actions during the Second World War, and her affair with a fellow
catholic bigwig has left herwith a crisis of conscience as to whether to leave her calling. Val calls heryounger brother Ben to ask his advice on an important discovery she has madeduring her research. She seems rather nervous to talk with him so they agree to meet back in their childhood town in America. Apon arriving home he discovers her dead, murdered in the chapel. All her paperworkhas been stolenand the only apparent clue is a question she had asked the local police force about asuicide of a priest that had happened when Val and Ben were still children. This is all at a time when the Catholic Church is in Crisis. The Pope is about to die and the
cardinals are vying for position. Ben sets out to find out who has killed his beloved sister, and more importantly - Why? To answer his questions he follows Val's last footsteps going to Alexandria, Paris and finally Rome where gradually with a little help from Sister Elizabeth and Father Dunn they discover the Churches involvement with the Nazi's, there interest in the fine arts and what’s more a conspiracy agreed by Pope Pius for a group of Assasini, to take out those that got in the way of the supposed "greater good". Wading their way through the evidence of numerous murders over the last 50 years they finally get to the Vatican itself, The Pope, and two of the foremost cardinals are involved, but who is the bad guy?A must read! It is the first book I have read by this author and will most definitely be reading more. Similar style to Dan Brown with plenty of twists to keep you enthralled to the ultimate page.