San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2009), 215 pages.
Reviewed by Christine Sunderland

This thoughtful literary thriller addresses weighty and timely themes: not only challenges to belief in an unbelieving world, but the devastation of AIDS and sexual license, the disparity between first and third worlds, rich and poor, and the role of a Church guided by tradition. Secular versus religious, Muslim versus Christian, new versus old: who are the real combatants today? Our world is complex.

The author has chosen his characters wisely. An idealistic London reporter becomes enthralled with a charismatic relief worker, getting more than she bargained for. Her uncle, a conservative priest, watches over her, praying, guiding. A young British agent from Scotland Yard is pulled into the plot, as he seeks to thwart a terrorist threat. The stories intertwine in a fast-paced plot in which the smuggling of nerve gas is set against the death of John Paul II and the papal election. We move from London to Rome to Uganda to Cairo and back to Rome. With its careful syntax and spare structure, the story progresses to a profound and unforgettable conclusion.       [Read more...]