REVIEW: The Death of a Pope by Piers Paul Read

Here is a very brief review of a book I received, The Death of a Pope by Piers Paul Read, published by Ignatius Press.  He was the author also of Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors and also Hell and Other Destinations.

The Death of a Pope is a thriller set in the context of the death of John Paul II and the ensuing conclave. 

In short, there is a conspiracy to kill all the Cardinals in the conclave with the unwitting help of an insider so as to thrown to the Church in a new direction.

Along the way, the author engages in a bit of a debate between liberal and traditional positions.  There are some plot elements which test credulity.  And while I did not find the prose overly engaging, it read very quickly and it is not long.  This would be a good book for a short trip and perhaps a lunch conversation afterward.

The most interesting part for me was spinning out in my own mind – that is apart from what the book suggested – what might happen were there to be such an attack on a conclave, resulting in the death of all the electors.  There would also be geopolitical ramifications, especially were the attacks linked to Islam.  Do you suppose the Christian world might clash with Islam then?

Anyway, if you come by the book, it should amuse you for a while.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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