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The story opens with the death of Pope John Paul II. As the Cardinals are gathering in Vatican City for the conclave that will appoint his successor, two of the Cardinals have been brutally murdered. When the second killing occurs, Inspector Paola DiCanti of the Italian police is shocked to learn it is the second such murder of a Cardinal. The Inspector General of the Vatican Police force explains that they did not want to panic the faithful who had gathered. With the second murder they realized that a serial killer was at work and reluctantly involved the Italian police. Paola, recently promoted as head of the Laboratory for Behavioral Analysis, finally has a case she can work on from the outset. In a country that has a high number of serial killers, her department is so new it has yet to solve a single case. Paola and her police colleagues are interesting and well drawn characters. Some of the Vatican officials seem to be stick men, cartoon figures, shown as scheming, plotting egomaniacs whose only wish is to protect the church and not justice. We know from the outset who is killing cardinals. What we do not know is where he is and what disguises he has used. Anthony Fowler, former US Air Force officer and now a priest, is assigned to assist. The novel shows much research has been done in the workings of the Vatican and the process of electing a new pope. I’m sure that the politicking and infighting in a papal conclave are no different from any political election. Fortunately, the killings, though horrendous, are shown as separate flashbacks so that we can skim over those chapters if we choose. I thought that some parts of the book were a little stiff, but perhaps that is to be expected in a translation. While Paola's quirky charm and her relationships to her coworkers in the police force are enough to endear her (and a couple of them) to the reader, most of the other characters do not come off so favorably. The premise of the book and the suspense is interesting, and anyone intrigued by Hannibal Lector will find this killer ingenious.
Reviewed by Lorraine Gelly, November 2008
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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