Book Review: The Third Secret by Steve Berry

Do you believe in prophecies?

A lot of religions and holy texts establish their credibility on allegedly fulfilled prophecies and signs. Christianity is an example of such a religion. I have some knowledge about the Biblical miracles and prophecies. But I must confess, I know next to nothing about the Marian prophecies and apparitions which are believed by hundred millions of faithfuls in the Catholic and the Orthodox church.

Fortunately, my ignorance of this subject came to and end, when a friend of mine who is an Egyptian Orthodox Christian told me about the prophecy at Fatima. It sparked my interest, and I began to watch some documentaries about the Fatima prophecy. Either way, when I was browsing books in my local library last week, I came across a book called “The Third Secret”, written by International Best-selling author Steve Berry. I had a look at the descriptions at the back of the cover. Turned out this book is a mystery, conspiracy thriller set in the Vatican City.

Since I enjoy reading religious conspiracy thrillers, this kind of book is right up my alley. Furthermore, the author stated, while the story and characters in this book are fictitious, but the “facts” he used to build the story are true. Therefore, as I stood in the library, staring at this book on the shelf, my interest in this book flared. I quickly borrowed this book and carried it home. I read this book in one sitting during the Easter weekend.

Today, I would like to review this book.

Synopsis:

Prophecies and signs are the pillars of faith for many believers in Christendom. In the church history, there are numerous reports of Marian apparitions and prophecies. For some in the Catholic and Orthodox churches, the two lungs of Christendom, Marian prophecies are just as important as the prophecies recorded in the Bible cannons.

The year was 1917. At the village of Fatima, Portugal, Virgin Mary appeared to three peasant children. The Lady shared three secrets with them. Out of the three secrets, two of them were soon revealed to the world. The third secret, however, was concealed in the Vatican, read only by Popes until the year 2000, when it was finally disclosed publicly. However, due to the strange circumstances surrounding the disclosure for the third secret, many believe the true nature of the third secret remains shrouded in mystery...

In the present day, Pope Clement XV exercises his right as the Pope, and enters the Vatican Riserva night after night for a mysterious purpose of his own. The Papal Secretary, Father Colin Michener is the Pope's best friend. Father Michener discovered, for some reason, the Pope is distressed over the prophecy of Fatima. Meanwhile, Cardinal Alberto Valendrea, the Vatican's secretary of State, harbors the ambition to become the next Pope. But Pope Clement XV's interest in the Fatima prophecy threatens to unravel an ancient secret. A secret Valendrea has been hiding because the truth will undo centuries of church dogma.

As the wind of change approaches the Vatican city, Pope Clement XV asked for Father Michener's assistance to investigate the truth behind the Fatima prophecy. Thus began a game of power struggle, political intrigues and assassinations. But it is said covering the truth is like trying to cover fire with paper. The explosive truth of the third secret is waiting to be revealed, making an everlasting impact on the history of Christendom....

My thoughts on this book:

Firstly, I really enjoyed The Third Secret. This is definitely one of the better conspiracy thrillers I've read. This book radiates mystery and suspense. The story is built on a web of tension, moving at a neck-breaking pace. The storytelling revolves around interesting and dynamic characters. From protagonists wrestling with inner struggles, to blood-chilling villains, every character is portrayed vividly. The characters' motivations are fully explained and made clear to the readers. On top of this, author Steve Berry managed to cloak his story in an esoteric atmosphere.

The beginning of this book moved slowly. The story took its time to build up the major story arch. But once the story kicked off, the pace of the story picked up significantly. This book made an excellent use of short chapters, further speeding up a story that is already fast-paced.

I was most intrigued by the themes, and the underlying messages in this book. Most religious conspiracy thrillers invite controversy. I think some people are going to be offended by the underlying messages in this book. But when I was reading The Third Secret, I thought this book brought up several burning issues about organized religions today. The kind of issues directly affecting you and I, regardless of your stance towards religiosity. I really appreciate the way Steve Berry tried to raise public awareness about these issues via the platform of art and entertainment.

Nevertheless, no matter what your stance is towards the issues brought up by The Third Secret, I think this book will still provoke people of all religious backgrounds to at least think about these issues, then come to their own conclusions.

Another praise point for this book, is the author has done extensive research for the background of the story. Yes, this is a fictitious story populated by made up characters. But after I read this book, I did some research on the events and the document mentioned in the book, and turned out they reflect the historical facts accurately. So in some way, reading The Third Secret can also increase your knowledge about the history of the Vatican church, and the Marian prophecies, if you have an interest in this sort of stuff.

So will I recommend The Third Secret? Personally, I really liked this book. I think The Third Secret is definitely one of the better conspiracy thriller novels I've read. But I don't think this is the kind of book for everyone. I would recommend it to people who enjoyed books like Angels and Demons. The bottom line is, if you like reading religious conspiracy thrillers, and you are an independent thinker not easily offended by alternative views that challenge your religious worldview, then you will probably enjoy this book as much as I did.

I give The Third Secret two thumbs up.