Here's the deal: if you hated the DaVinci Code for its content, you'll probably really hate this one. Me, I know it's fiction (like the DaVinci Code), so the content didn't really bother me. But I think I was a wee bit disappointed in the story; I guess I expected something a little more earth-shattering as far as a revelation at the end. I was hoping for something a little more explosive, I suppose. Oh well. I saw this book reviewed on Amazon by one customer as "an insult to all Christians..." I mean, get real! Read the blurb in the dust jacket then decide if you want to read it or not. It's FICTION, okay??? If you're easily insulted, don't read it!Having said this, let me try a brief synopsis:The "Third Secret" is the last of the secrets entrusted by the Virgin Mary to three children back in 1917 in Fatima, Portugal. Personally, I'm fascinated by the whole phenomenon of Virgin Mary sightings...in tortillas, in a grilled cheese sandwich, on windows, in blotches on the street. But then again, I have always been interested in goddess literature and studies relating the Virgin Mary to vestiges of goddess worship. Moving right along, there were 3 messages in total given to these children. Berry examines the notion that the third of these, made public by John Paul II in 2000, was not the actual message...that there was a plot to cover up its real contents because it would shake the faith of the modern Catholic world. The girl, Lucia, who received that message, was in her 90s at the time this secret was made public and according to Berry's novel, her hearing was failing, her eyesight bad, and she had been sworn to secrecy, yet she confirmed that the message made public by the pope was the one given to her by the Virgin Mary. In Berry's novel, he notes that these documents were contained under lock and key in the Riserva, the private archives so secret that only the Pope could go in there and have access to the documents stored there. In the story, a number of popes knew the true secret, and in the case of John XXIII, he wept while reading it. As the novel opens, we are in the reign of Pope Clement XV, a German pope who knows the secret and is troubled by it. He has been on the papal throne for 34 months and he is torn because he knows he should let the world know, but also knows that he would be tearing the Catholic world apart once he reveals the secret. He sends a friend Colin Michener, a priest at the Vatican, to Romania to contact a Father Tibor, currently working in an orphanage there. Father Tibor, it seems, was the translator of the Third Secret, and Clement wants advice as to what he should do. Clement does not entrust the secret to Michener, but sends him on the mission. Now this wouldn't be so complicated, except for the fact that at the same time, the cardinal who did not become the pope in the conclave where Clement was elected, Valendrea, can't wait to become pope and is already exercising his power over those who would support him in the event of the death of Clement. He is one of the nastiest villains I've seen in a long time and I really enjoyed his character. Anyway, he knows something about the third secret and sends his goons and a reporter that Michener was once in love with after Michener to keep track of what he learns in Romania. As Michener learns more, things begin to heat up at the Vatican and the suspense sets in up until the last minute of the book.If you like books about religious conspiracies, startling revelations & really evil people, you'll like this one. I thought the book was okay; made for an interesting two days and one night of reading. The pace is good, and the book is suspenseful, but to me, I just wasn't wowed by the revelations at the end. I had the most fun with Valendrea's character...what an evil genius!
Being a Steve Berry fan, I've been looking for this book for ages so I was ecstatic when I was finally able to buy a copy. I guess my eagerness for the book built up too much expectation and I ended up being disappointed.Don't get me wrong, I liked the book. Liked, not loved. And I was expecting to love it. Maybe because I expected too much. I love reading about fiction tackling religious controversies, so the premise of The Third Secret immediately got me the moment I read about it.Overall, the story was nice, although some bits of it was kind of slow-paced (I was used to fast-paced Berry novels). The characters were likable enough, especially Michener. I, however, did not grow to like Katerina Lew. Maybe it's her personality... she wasn't exactly a picnic.The Vatican politics was interesting. It showed how even inside the Church, corruption, deceit and lust for power existed ( After all, we're only human), and I believe cases like that truly exist in modern times. The power-play between Valendrea and Ngovi was subtle but I must admit I was curious on what Ngovi was going to do.The greatest disappointment I had with this novel was probably the Third Secret itself. Throughout the entire book, this interest, curiosity and mystery was built up around it and its contents... I guess I expected something more from the final revelation. Not that it wasn't earth-shattering, but, I don't know... it just didn't make that much impact. It didn't live up to the hype built by the book.At the end of the day, I still enjoyed this novel. I'm quite interested on how Ngovi's new Vatican will be like. Gosh, I can only imagine the turmoil the changes he's gonna make will create. I even grew to take pity on Valendrea on his final chapters when he was about to take the pills. That last POV chapter was quite insightful on his character. He wasn't truly that evil. I kind of felt bad for him because I saw how much he really wanted the papacy, how hard he's worked for it, planned for it, and when he finally got it... well, all those years went to nothing. I guess that's his karma.Am I still a Steve Berry fan after reading this? I guess I still am.
What do You think about The Third Secret (2005)?
So, I'm a Christian and this book was sort of "out there" like the DaVinci Code. I did not think this challenged my faith in any way. The Scriptures are clear about Jesus and the Virgin Mary and when the story diverged from that I knew I was reading a work of fiction. I was able to assert supension of disbelief and enjoy the story. It was not my favorite Steve Berry novel however. He does such a wonderful job of weaving in history with fiction in his novels, and although the "sighting" portions may have been factual, many other assertions were warped when it concerned Christianity (especially concerning priestly or pastoral conduct).What I really liked about this book was how he fleshed out the characters, especially Pope Clement and Colin. Loved that relationship. Best part of the book for me. The book also had really good pacing which kept me engrossed.
—Michelle
This book demonstrates extensive and detailed research into the workings of the Vatican and I found it fascinating. The third secret itself is not as earth shattering as some of the other aspects of this book, which kept me hooked with the character of the flawed Pope, the evil cardinal and political battles as well as the more simple faith of others. I highly recommend this for people interested in the Catholic church as well as those who like a religious thriller. My favorite of Steve Berry's books.
—J.F. Penn
This is the third Steve Berry book I've read and the first one I appreciated and really liked. Credits to the author's thorough research and the way he mixed fact and fiction in one page-turning book. His writing style in this book was really different from the first two I've read (The Romanov Prophecy, Alexandria Link). It had that captivating factor that kept me reading it to the last page. No immature characters, no name-calling, a little sex and a lot of controversy. Religion has always been a sensitive topic to write about and the way this book was written was vivid, excellent, and informative. I also liked the writer's note where he discusses his research and separates fact and fiction. Characters are human, popes are not perfect, the suspense is always there and the danger is ever-present. All of them have redeeming value, clues about events are there and the part I liked best is I wasn't able to predict what happens next. Great read!
—Joy
