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A conspiracy is afoot at the Vatican. Pope Clement XV is beginning to have doubts about some of the Catholic Church's dogma and he has been seen visiting the guarded archives at the Vatican. No one is sure what he's searching for but he is consumed. The Pope sends Papal Secretary Monsignor Colin Michener to Romania. There he is to meet with an elderly priest. Father Tibor translated three prophecies purportedly to be from the Virgin Mary. Michener does not know the secrets hidden inside these prophecies but they will prove monumental. In fact, these prophecies prove deadly as Michener must deal with violence, suicide and religious conspiracies. And he must decide how far he is willing to go for his friends, and his faith, as his decisions and choices may result in death. The characters of THE THIRD SECRET are mainly stereotypes in addition to being poorly developed. Katerina Lew, Michener's former lover, seems to exist only to tempt priests from celibacy. She serves no greater purpose in the book than to exist completely outside of the Catholic Church. Cardinal Valendrea, Pope Clement XV's number one enemy, is a ghost of an enemy. His manipulations are petty as he enjoys playing politics and plotting against others. Colin Michener is a stronger character but he is still a stereotype. He represents the priest found wanting, but who is constantly striving to overcome his past mistakes. Luckily Berry makes Michener's soul-searching appear meaningful and realistic rather than trite. Now if Berry had only devoted as much attention to all his characters as he does Michener's religious and personal struggles. While Berry's characters leave something to be desired, THE THIRD SECRET is well researched and very detailed. Every action in this book provides a mini-lecture on the topic. For example, Michener's visit to Father Tibor's orphanage results in a tangent about the orphanages in Romania, the politics that have caused orphanages to expand and Michener's own experiences growing up in an orphanage. This attention to detail prevents THE THIRD SECRET from being just another book attempting to jump on THE DA VINCI CODE bandwagon.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, June 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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