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The Third Secret: A Novel of Suspense
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780345476135
ISBN: 0345476131
Label: Ballantine Books
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 416
Publication Date: May 17, 2005
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: May 17, 2005
Studio: Ballantine Books
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Editorial Review:
For Steve Berry, it's a fortuitous coincidence that his third novel, a Vatican-centered conspiracy thriller titled The Third Secret, was published in the immediate aftermath of Pope Benedict XVI's anointment in Rome. While this exuberantly contrived yarn would likely have drawn an audience at any time, it benefits from coming before readers just after they've been primed with news reports about papal succession, the relative influence and legacy of pontiffs, and the increasing tug-of-war between Roman Catholic progressives and conservative traditionalists.
Set in the near future, Secret introduces Jakob Volkner--Pope Clement XV--a German "caretaker pope" who, nearing the age of 80, was elected as John Paul II's successor. But three years into his papacy, the thoughtful Clement has begun to quietly express skepticism about papal infallibility and the Church's restrictive dogma, and to make odd requests of his longtime secretary, Monsignor Colin Michener, an Irish-born but American-reared priest whose vows of celibacy have been tested--and found wanting. Clement has also made repeated visits to a guarded sanctum within the Vatican archives, where sacred and historic documents are stored. And he's dispatched Michener to Romania to locate an elderly cleric who, in the 1950s, translated three cryptic prophecies, purportedly offered by the Virgin Mary in 1917 to a trio of children in Fatima, Portugal. Those secrets have since been fully disclosed to the world. Or have they? That's the question facing Michener in the wake of Clement's shocking suicide, as he pursues a twisted trail of clues, crimes, and religious forecasts from Rome to Bosnia to Germany, accompanied by his former lover, journalist Katerina Lew. But making any additional secrets known to the world will put Michener in confrontation with doctrinal reactionaries, led by Cardinal Alberto Valendrea, the Vatican's Italian secretary of state, who's determined to follow Clement as the Vicar of Christ--even if that requires inventing a few new sins and flouting a 900-year-old prediction of doom for the next pope.
Attorney-author Berry, praised previously for The Amber Room and The Romanov Prophecy, enriches The Third Secret with glimpses behind the locked doors of a papal selection process and knowledge of centuries-old Catholic prognostications that, while employed judiciously in these pages, nonetheless suggest a prodigious amount of research. He's less successful with his casting. Valendrea is a wincingly unnuanced scoundrel, and Ms. Lew achieves scarce definition beyond being a raven-tressed temptress to powerful prelates. Thankfully, Berry does better by Michener, who finds himself at a crossroads, carrying on in Clement's name even as he searches for confirmation that his own life of devotion and service has been meaningful. Although the secrets "revealed" in this tale seem more controversial than plausible, and a potentially intriguing subplot about the excommunication of a maverick priest ends up as a throwaway device, The Third Secret builds to a conclusion that is as suspenseful and stunning as it is inevitable. Have faith. --J. Kingston Pierce
Explosive in both its pace and its revelations, The Third Secret is a remarkable international thriller. Bestselling author Steve Berry tackles some of the most controversial ideas of our time in a breakneck journey through the history of the Church and the future of religion.Fatima, Portugal, 1917: The Virgin Mary appears to three peasant children, sharing with them three secrets, two of which are soon revealed to the world. The third secret is sealed away in the Vatican, read only by popes, and not disclosed until the year 2000. When revealed, its quizzical tone and anticlimactic nature leave many faithful wondering if the Church has truly unveiled all of the Virgin Mary’s words–or if a message far more important has been left in the shadows.Vatican City, present day: Papal secretary Father Colin Michener is concerned for the Pope. Night after restless night, Pope Clement XV enters the Vatican’s Riserva, the special archive open only to popes, where the Church’s most clandestine and controversial documents are stored. Though unsure of the details, Michener knows that the Pope’s distress stems from the revelations of Fatima.Equally concerned, but not out of any sense of compassion, is Alberto Cardinal Valendrea, the Vatican’s Secretary of State,. Valendrea desperately covets the papacy, having narrowly lost out to Clement at the last conclave. Now the Pope’s interest in Fatima threatens to uncover a shocking ancient truth that Valendrea has kept to himself for many years.When Pope Clement sends Michener to the Romanian highlands, then to a Bosnian holy site, in search of a priest–possibly one of the last people on Earth who knows Mary’s true message–a perilous set of events unfolds. Michener finds himself embroiled in murder, suspicion, suicide, deceit, and his forbidden passion for a beloved woman. In a desperate search for answers, he travels to Pope Clement’s birthplace in Germany, where he learns that the third secret of Fatima may dictate the very fate of the Church–a fate now lying in Michener’s own hands.
Praise for Steve BerryThe Third Secret“Controversial, shocking, explosive . . . rich in a wealth of Vatican insider knowledge and two thousand years of Virgin Mary visitations. The Third Secret will change our view of the relation between religion and wisdom.”
–KATHERINE NEVILLE, author of The Eight
The Romanov Prophecy“Perfect for thriller fans and history buffs alike. Fabulous plot twists.”
–DAVID MORRELL, author of The Protector“Compelling . . . adventure-filled . . . a fast-moving, globe-hopping tale of long-lost treasure and shadowy bad guys.”
–San Francisco Chronicle
The Amber Room“Sexy, illuminating . . . my kind of thriller.”
–DAN BROWN, author of The Da Vinci Code“Magnificently engrossing, with wonderful characters and a plot that speeds, twists, and turns. Pure intrigue, pure fun.”
–CLIVE CUSSLER, author of Sacred Stone
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Pretty darn good
I liked most of the book. Some of it is pretty stereotypical in its depiction of the outsiders (non-Italians) being good guys and the insiders (Italians) being the bad guys, but someone has to be the good guy and someone has to be the bad guy or there would not be a story.
I was a little disappointed that the third secret was revealed at the end. It won't effect the enjoyment of the book very much if you know what the third secret is. Basic the third secret is every liberal American ... Read More
Rating: - Intrigue in the Vatican
Colin Michener is secretary to well-loved Pope Clement XV, and lately he has become concerned about the pope's behavior. He seems obsessed with one of the secrets contained within the Vatican's Riserva, a special room filled with historic documents available only to popes. In 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal, and Clement XV keeps entering the Riserva to read the documents related to the apparition. Clement is an old man, in failing health, and many believe he ... Read More
Rating: - The Wrong Secret!!
AGHH!! STEVE!!! After reading The Third Secret for a second time, the first being years ago when it just came out (and I had forgotten much of it), I was devastated to learn that you simply had the wrong secret! All along I thought I knew exactly what the secret was that the popes agonized over: that the Virgin Mary wanted the church to revert back to the pastoral church of Christ, drop the gold and riches, the pomp and circumstance, and become once again the true and simple church of God. Take away ... Read More
Rating:  - Nothing Electrifying about this Secret
Father Michener is plagued with worry for his dear friend and mentor Pope Clement XV.
Clement is concerned with a starling secret that is hidden in the archives of the Vatican. He then sends Michener on a trip to unravel the mystery of the third secret that the Virgin Mary has reveled to three youngsters
Gripping page turner? No, the only reason why I kept turning pages was because I was highly expecting a blow out a secret to end all secrets but once reveled I was sorely let ... Read More
Rating: - Nice read, not too great of an ending
The novel is a nice read, but it didn't draw me in very much. Vatican intrigues, Eastern Europe, Marian apparitions and guarding a secret from the public. Conspiracy theories, but the ending was kind of unsatisfying. I asked myself;:"so what?" The thriller seems to be intended as a kind of realistic thrillers,( "probable" scenarios, if and only if), but it doesn't go very deeply in this direction.The third secret was not so terribly shaking,so, the ending was unsatisfying, ("so what?why this was supposed ... Read More
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