Plots and counterplots? You better believe it. Twists? Yep. Machinations within the church and its hierarchy? Check.
But this isn't Dan Brown. The pace is a lot more leisurely. The chapters are short, but there are plenty of paragraphs that cover almost an entire page. Lots of description, which is done well but which readers looking for a really fast pace might find distracting. I didn't, but I did think the book was a bit too long. I say that about most books, though, so you can probably disregard it. If you're looking for something a little different, but familiar at the same time, give this one a try.
And then there who is editor of international affairs at a prestigious magazine in London. Her father, Raul, is a Portugese military officer, and was involved earlier with Sarah when they looked into the death of John Paul I. Another returning character is Father Rafael Santini; caught up in religious politics and secretive about the things he knows. There are representatives from the CIA, the Masons, the Opus Dei, the police forces of several countries, and the Catholic church.
that the truth behind the 1981 attempt on the life of John Paul II was never revealed—is undercut by a muddled story line and such winks to the reader as naming a British agent Simon Templar (the hero of a popular 1960s TV series starring Roger Moore) and one character telling another that the previous book (i.e., The Last Pope) is available for sale in the bookstores. Long-winded descriptive passages, like the opening set at an expensive restaurant in an unnamed city, dampen the tension in a novel alleging dark doings at the heart of the Vatican. Still, those with a limitless appetite for stories about evildoing involving the Catholic Church may be satisfied. (Aug.)
are as fond of evocative descriptive writing as you are of clandestine plots involving the Roman Catholic Church –- and really, who isn’t fascinated by a bit of Vatican-spiced intrigue? –- you’ll find much to admire in this follow-up to Mr. Rocha’s The Last Pope, an account of the conspiracy lying beneath the 1981 attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II.
The Holy Bullet digs deeper into the hidden plots and treacheries of the shadowy figures in the upper echelons of the Catholic hierarchy. Incorporating everything from a female British journalist to a Muslim who has visions of Christ’s mother Mary to a priest who, conveniently, doubles as an assassin, it seems, at times, as if Mr. Rocha has created a story that threatens to collapse under its own weight. However, the cool, intricately constructed prose prevents the byzantine plot from being too annoying. The Da Vinci Code this is not; but it’s an intriguing tale in its own right.
In May of 1981, the world was shocked when a Muslim terrorist attempted to assassinate the beloved Pope, John Paul II. Although greviously wounded, he survived and lived to fulfill God's mission for him. Even more shocking to many, Pope John Paul met with his attempted assassin, Mehmet Ali Ağca after the attempt, and fully forgave him. Luis Miguel Rocha's new novel, The Holy Bullet, is written around this shocking event.
John Paul II came to the office after the short tenure of John Paul I. His short time in office led to rumours that his death was not natural. The attempted assassination of John Paul II so quickly after his ascension to Pope reinforced the belief that there were powers plotting against the papacy. Now, warring factions form alliances and opposing forces to try to either discover or hide the truth of this event, depending on which side they are aligned with.
The reader is faced with a dizzying array of characters. There is There are plots, counterplots, betrayals and surprising facts that are revealed. Over all looms the question of whether Sarah and Rafael can discover what lies behind the plot against the papacy, and whether they can use that knowledge to save the Pope.
Fans of Miguel Luis Rocha's first novel, The Last Pope, or those who enjoyed The DaVinci Code, will enjoy The Holy Bullet. The author insists that not only is the book based on true facts, but that some of these facts were given to him only years after the attempt on John Paul's life by a man who claimed to have been involved in the death of the first John Paul. The plotlines are tight and intersect compellingly, and the reader is pulled along, afraid to read what comes next but afraid also not to. The characters are interesting, and their motivations twine and twist until none of them is predictable. This book is recommended for suspense readers.
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