The Third Secret: Summary and book reviews of The Third Secret by Steve Berry, plus links to an excerpt from The Third Secret and a biography of Steve Berry.
The Third Secret
by Steve Berry
Hardcover: May 2005,
416 pages.
Paperback: Jan 2006,
400 pages.
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.
The New York Times
The links to religion in The Da Vinci Code and [Dan Brown's] previous, Angels and Demons, pale beside those in The Third Secret. Here's a lurid, churning thriller that centers on the election of a new pope . . . featuring ruthless behind-the-scenes ambition in Vatican City, and apparitions of the Virgin Mary. . . . Berry raises this genre's stakes.
Florida Times-Union
Seamlessly weaves history and fiction. The meticulous research . . . drives Berry's writing a notch higher. He has crafted an intense, fast-paced thriller that suceeds because of clever plotting and introspective characters . . . a compelling read, a thinking man's thriller that proves as informative as entertaining.
Publishers Weekly
Visions of the Virgin Mary, secret documents and politicking in the highest echelons of the Catholic Church - Berry (The Amber Room) combines combustive elements in this well-researched thriller.
Booklits - Ilene Cooper
Berry handles his thriller tradecraft skillfully....Characterizations, however, are not quite as strong....But the story is its own reward. The contents of the explosive prophecy prove suitably shocking, if unlikely, and the surprising ending keeps the tension intense until the last pages. Readers won't be disappointed.
Kirkus Reviews
Berry . . . serves tantalizingly true tidbits about the Church, and his measured, elegant prose is a solid fit with the story.
Katherine Neville, author of The Eight
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.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Sharon Barker Solid Entry Into The Historical Thriller Genre While I have enjoyed all of Steve Berry's novels weaving history, mystery, and chases, this is my favorite. It may be reminiscent for some of Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons", but I think this is a better book. The plotting is superb... Read More
Rated of 5
by Abigail The Third Secret...??? Although Berry's first two books were good, this book lacks authenticity. It is obvious even before reading Berry's profile that he is a disgruntled & disillusioned Catholic. His liberal views put him in the same class as David Brown although I... Read More
Rated of 5
by Amazing Flash Nice Review It is a very slow moving book which starts to go faster as it goes on but overall I think it is not very good.
Rated of 5
by Marge Entertaining This book was one of those I coulodn't put down. I had no idea what it was about I just picked it up and read it. What a surprise at the character portray and storyline. I will look for more of Mr. Barry's books in the future.
If you
were uncomfortable with the plot line in The Da Vinci Code,
you'll want to keep The Third Secret at more than arms
length!
The premise of the book is that the 'Third Secret of Fatima'
wasn't revealed in its entirety. In this Berry is reflecting the
opinion that a number of people expressed at the time the final
prophesy was revealed in 2000 - 40 years after the first two
prophecies had been revealed and 19 years after the Vatican
claimed it had been fulfilled (with the attempted assassination
of Pope John Paul II). It's not to say that a prophesy
predicting the murder of a Pope isn't of import, but many felt
that it was not sufficient to warrant withholding the prophesy
for so long, and certainly not for 19 years after it was
apparently fulfilled!...
An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new weapon of destruction. An unthinkable target...
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Florida Times-Union
Katherine Neville, author of The Eight
of 5
by Sharon Barker
of 5
by Abigail
of 5
by Amazing Flash
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