Vatican Thrillers

Father Michael Dominic is called to France for an unusual assignment. A 14th-century bishop was found in a crypt buried under the burnt remnants of Notre-Dame—but he’s wearing the ring of a cardinal, and two parchment scrolls had been hidden in his garment sleeve. Who was this 700-year-old custodian of carefully guarded secrets?

Father Michael Dominic, prefect of the Vatican Secret Archives in Rome, is entrusted with the mission of transporting the original 17th century trial documents of Galileo to Loyola Law School in Chicago. The stage is set for a modern historical mock trial of Galileo’s original heresy charges, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the legendary event.

A Paris icon in flames. A conspiracy in the Church. Can this determined explorer survive the search for a hidden history? Renowned archaeologist Darwin Lacroix remains obsessed, proving his theory that Roman’s used lava tubes. But he’s interrupted by the Pope, who personally requests Darwin’s help to retrieve a codex stolen from the Pontiff’s private vault. Discovering that the cryptic text points to the long-sought Knights Templar treasure, he realizes a mysterious cave may also solve his own puzzle. As he digs up a trail of ancient connections, he’s shocked to learn the true ...

In 1917 as Lenin was seizing power in Russia the Mother of God appeared to children at Fatima in Portugal and disclosed three secrets. In 1960 the Pope made public the first two, but no Pope dared reveal the third. Now a Pope born in the Soviet Union is determined to win the ultimate battle revealed in the terrible Third Secret of Fatima. He sends Father James Ryan on an undercover mission to bring about the collapse of the Soviet Union. But senior KGB officer Lev Babakin is orchestrating his own secret plan to destroy the Catholic Church. “John Hands's Perestroika Christi is a wonderful ...

Prophecy. Power. Payback. Celtic Omen ignites the final showdown that began in Tuscan Hoax and Louvre Escape. Some call it the Bethlehem Star. Others say it fulfills a darker, older prophecy. Astronomers insist it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. But does it bring salvation—or destruction? Darwin Lacroix, the Vatican's head of archaeological threats, is drawn into a storm of myth and danger in the explosive conclusion of this gripping trilogy. When a newly discovered comet appears on a collision course with Earth, panic spreads. Darwin uncovers evidence that Copernicus saw it too—and ...

A dark family secret. A bizarre cult. A talisman that can destroy entire cities. Darwin must stop the skeletons in his past... before they bury our future. Darwin Lacroix is a wreck. An ancient booby trap nearly kills his wife, Eyrún. A tunnel under their home hides an alchemy lab with strange crystals. And a tabloid reveals his forebear stole American gold, threatening his job as Vatican special director of antiquities. Then he’s slapped with a paternity suit. Could his life get any worse? Modern tests show the crystals are a scientific holy grail—an unlimited energy source—worth ...

The Book of Thoth According to Egyptian mythology, the Book of Thoth granted unimaginable powers over the heavens, the earth, and the seas. It allowed the reader to control people and animals, resurrect the dead, and even gaze directly into the sun without harm. When a series of supernatural events begins shaking the world, the Vatican entrusts young priest and brilliant Church investigator Antonio Alviero with uncovering the truth. His findings point to the awakening of a terrifying force known as The Source—a power feared by the Vatican for centuries. To confront it, Father Elias, a ...

The horror is real. Darwin and team face off against a cult hellbent on resurrecting the world's deadliest disease. When thieves steal holy relics from the Vatican Museums, he suspects the antiquities cartel he shut down is still operating. But something doesn’t add up. As Darwin chases evidence of the saint’s bones from Rome to Kyrgyzstan and Warsaw, he meets an investigative reporter who links them to a series of devasting attacks on remote Siberian villages. Has someone genetically engineered a bioweapon? With time running out and no government willing to investigate Russia, Darwin ...

The ultimate ultimate game of cat and mouse!During the opening months of World War II, the Vatican initiated a covert operation to steal the eighth wonder of the world. Their treachery succeeded beyond their wildest expectations -- or so they thought. Now their 80-year-old secret is in danger of unraveling and some very powerful people and ruthless people will do anything to keep their secret buried. In this fast-paced thriller, Hezbollah, Mossad, The Vatican, and MI-6 are all hunting for James Dieter (retired Navy SEAL), and his wife, Nora (investigative journalist), as they race across ...

An ancient wonder. A bitter rival. Will securing his family's legacy get him killed? Darwin Lacroix has made an incredible discovery, but his lack of proof gnaws at him daily. After putting his wedding to the captivating Eyrun on hold, the archaeologist receives a tip that could finally prove his grandfather's research. There's just one catch: To make the find, he'll have to forge an uneasy alliance with a cunning Italian archrival. When the partnership gets him closer than ever to the Library of Alexandria, Darwin fears that his hope may blind him to the truth. But the explorer's attempt ...

Tasked with choosing a pontiff to replace a previous incumbent (Paul IV) whose reign was marked by repression and brutality, and faced with the growing challenge of the Protestant Reformation, the conclave faced a critically important decision for the future of the Roman Catholic Church and was faction-ridden even by the standards of such polarised gatherings. France and Spain, both looking to extend their power in Italy and beyond, had very different ideas of who the new pope should be, as did the Italian cardinals.

"Action thrillers are a fun genre as they're often page-turners, and The Forgotten Alphabet is definitely that. It's the 17th book in The Blackwell Files series, but it's the first one for me. Steven F. Freeman is such a talented author that he skillfully mentions critical parts of previous novels so the reader new to the series is not left behind. I loved every second of this book; the events are plausible, the flawed characters are all relatable, and the revelation of the mastermind shocked me. There's nothing to fault in this story—it's heart-racingly brilliant. I'm already a new fan ...

In the heart of the English countryside, a discovery is made that threatens to overturn centuries of Church history. When Father Michael Dominic uncovers a cryptic diary leading to a lost 1st century Gospel, he is thrust into a labyrinth of deceit, murder, and controversy. Alongside Hana Sinclair, a savvy journalist, Michael sets out to unravel a mystery buried deep within the Church's past. The Confessions of Pope Joan is a gripping tale of courage and faith, charting their quest against a powerful adversary seeking to keep the truth hidden.

When ex-MI5 operative Joe Mason is sent to Rome to guard an elderly professor and his daughter, he thinks he’s in for an easy ride. But on their first day in the Vatican secret archives, a masked assassin gains entry, shoots Joe’s client in cold blood and steals an ancient manuscript. Giving chase, Joe can’t imagine what could lie within those pages that would make someone willing to kill. The search for answers leads Joe and his comrades in a race against time, across continents and into treacherous mountains.

Although a tiny city- state, the Vatican City boasts many cultural and religious gems in its small boundaries. It’s famous for being the smallest country in the world, at less than 50 hectares, or 120 acres. And its permanent population is less than 1000 people. But it is home to the Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica, ten museums and many lush gardens! And as the world centre of the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican is a place of enormous interest to pilgrims and art lovers the world over.

Washington, DC, police detective Peter Gallagher is called to investigate the death of a young Jesuit priest in what appears a tragic accident. What he uncovers, instead, is far more complicated: the legacy of a Cold War political conspiracy, involving Washington power brokers, the CIA, and the secret inner workings of the Vatican. In a desperate race to reveal the truth, Gallagher joins forces with the young and beautiful Laura Miller, the daughter of an American ambassador. Together they embark on a dangerous journey through Washington, DC, and into Central America, risking their careers,...

My Last Confession: The Untold Struggles of Pope Francis A Gripping Biographical Novel of Power, Faith, and Political Intrigue In the shadowed corridors of the Vatican and the bloodstained streets of Argentina, one man’s conscience is tested against the weight of history. Before the world knew him as Pope Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio navigated a life fraught with political unrest, church scandal, and moral dilemmas that would define his papacy. From the turbulent rise of Juan Perón’s Argentina to the oppressive grip of the military dictatorship, Bergoglio wrestles with questions of ...

While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, a baffling cipher found near the body. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, sort through the bizarre riddle, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci, clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

The pope is dead. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, 118 cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world's most secretive election. They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals. Over the next 72 hours, one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.

Based on a wealth of documents long buried in the Vatican archives, Prisoner of the Vatican tells the story of the Church's secret attempt to block the unification of Italy and seize control, not in ancient times, but in the late 19th century. For more than 50 years, the pope was a self-imposed prisoner within the Vatican walls, planning to flee Italy, to return only as the restored ruler of Rome and the Papal States.