"Conclave" by Robert Harris

As Dean of the |College of Cardinals, Jacopo Lomeli has to organise the election of the next pope. Packed with authentic detail, Conclave charts the intrigues as the secrets and sins of the front-runners knock them one-by-one out of the race to leave them with perhaps the least likely candidate.

Although the twists and turns are perhaps slightly predictable (despite the author's obvious skill in misdirection) and although the suspension of disbelief is challenged by the incredible unlikelihood of the ending, this book is so grounded in reality that it could almost be a documentary rather than fiction.

Another great Vatican-based thriller is The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell.

Some great lines:

• "As with sleep, the more one desired meaningful prayer, the more elusive it became.” (p 6)
• “Once, God explained all mysteries. Now He has been usurped by conspiracy theorists. They are the heretics of the age.” (p 16)
• “The vices of courtiers all down the ages - the sins of vanity and intrigue and of malice and gossip.” (p 54)
• “The United Kingdom - that godless isle of apostasy.” (p 232)
• “Faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt.” (p 124)

A good read. September 23017; 380 pages