The first thing I have to say before I start my review is my immediate reaction to finishing this book: loading Wikipedia to see if it was part of a series.Sadly, I found that this wasn't part of a series - it simply left certain things hanging by a thread until 2010, three years after this book was first published, when Gomez-Jurado published The Moses Expedition, which shares two of this book's characters (at least). Perhaps in that novel we'll find out more about the characters and gain more answers but to be honest, for me this book is finished and I have no desire to continue reading. A prequel, perhaps, but otherwise no.It's a real disappointment.But anyway - now for the review.This book started out by dropping us into the middle of all the action, but I don't think that it was handled too well. It was confusing and too open all at the same time. There is no doubt about who the killer is and not a lot of light is shed on other characters or organisations in the book.Maybe I'm just stupid, but I felt that this went around in circles and strayed from the point a lot.At first.Later on in the book, things do begin to pick up and I found myself unwilling to put it down for any amount of time - I was staying up late to continue, being late to appointments and snatching seats on public transport so I could read in peace.Then it all sort of went down hill. It was still good, but ridiculous.I liked the twist at the end but it could have been handled better and I figured it out a long time before the characters did, I just assumed that if the characters weren't even considering the possibility then I must be wrong.I found a lot of things I always tagged as standard police procedure being ignored - but this book is set in Italy so perhaps they do things differently.I didn't feel the attraction between Fowler and Dicanti - it was sort of dropped on me every now and again like 'Oh yes, I fancy him, I remember now' but not at all consistant.This book, overall, had many many bad points but I can't list them without giving away thousands of spoilers.All in all though, it was interesting and gripping in a way not many books are. Despite the bad, I had to keep going to see what happened - I wanted to find out more and more about the killer because he was about the most fleshed out, believable character in it. The others were a bit flat.I give this four stars for the good, which I also can't list because of the potential for spoilers.I'd recommend it, definitely, but only to a certain few.
In this novel, Paola Dicanti, an FBI-trained profiler working in Rome, is called in when a prominent Catholic Cardinal is brutally murdered and dismembered. When Paola discovers that this is actually the second cardinal killed in this fashion, she's on the trail of a serial killer...a serial killer killing cardinals in Rome in the midst of John Paul IIs funeral and the impending conclave to elect a new Pope.I listened to this book on CD in my car, and I have to say that the reader did not do the book justice. This was a great book and the reader was not "great". But that aside, the plot was original and captivating. I may have to go back and physically read the book, however, because at the end I felt like I missed something. I don't know if I wasn't paying close enough attention while I was listening, or if the end was just vague and you weren't supposed to completely understand it. I thought the "romantic" episode between Paola and Anthony Fowler was cliche. But cliches definitely didn't abound in this novel. The first about two-thirds of the book left me guessing and constantly trying to fit the pieces together. Once Paola completed her profile of Victor, however, the remainder of the novel seemed a bit on the predictable side.Gomez-Jurado's character development was good as well. Since I was listening on audio book, it took me a little while to establish who each character was, but once I did, it wasn't hard to follow at all. Paola is sometimes stereotypical (i.e., the single female who sleeps with her married boss), but not completely. She has the makings of a strong female protagonist if Gomez-Jurado continues this as a series. But Anthony Fowler exhibited the most dynamic characteristics. I found that it was his character I wanted to know more about and delve into.There were points where Gomez-Jurado seemed to overdo the crass language. It really diminishes a character when that's the best they can do as far as dialogue or monologue. But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and was definitely captivated by it.
What do You think about God's Spy (2007)?
A fast-paced thriller in which the action and blood never stop, this strong debut by Spanish author Juan Gomez-Jurado will keep many readers going until well into the night. Set in Vatican City during the conclave to elect a new pope following the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, the action begins with the grisly deaths of two cardinals planning to participate in the conclave, their bodies tortured and mutilated almost beyond recognition by a serial killer on the loose. Gomez-Jurado is a stylish writer, well on his way to what could be a long career as a writer of thrillers.
—David
3.5Estoy segura que si hubiera leído esta novela al poco de salir la hubiera puntuado mejor. Este tema está ya muy trillado. Tiene un estilo a "Ángeles y Demonios" de Dan Brown. Es entretenida y está bien documentada. El tema de abusos sexuales a menores me ha sobrecogido y aunque se trata de una novela de ficción, el autor incluye fragmentos de artículos de periódico reales de sacerdotes acusados de abusos sexuales. Lo que desconocía era la existencia de un Centro para rehabilitación de sacerdotes católicos con historial de abusos sexuales...
—Leo C.
GOD’S SPY (Police Proc-Insp. Paola Dicanti-Rome-Cont) - VGGómez-Jurado, Juan – 1st novelPlume, 2007, US Trade Paperback – ISBN: 9780452289123First Sentence: Father Selznick awoke in the middle of the night, a fish knife pressed against his throat.Pope John Paul II has died and cardinals are gathering from around the world. In the midst of the world’s eye on Rome, Police Inspector Paola Dicanti is faced with a dead, mutilated cardinal, a charismatic American priest with a complicated past, the head of the Vatican Police whose job is to avoid any controversy falling on the Church and a serial killer taunting them all.The fact that you know the killer from the beginning does nothing to diminish the excitement or complexity of this story. The book includes a Cast of Characters at the beginning and even a map, two things I appreciate, but I found the story was so well told and the characters so well developed, I didn’t need either element. Dicanti, as a female Inspector trained by the FBI in criminal profiling yet still living with her mother, is a wonderful character. The story is fast-paced, does include some graphic descriptions of the murders, has touches of humor, plenty of violence, psychological suspense and a couple excellent twists. Highly recommended.
—LJ
