5 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was my favorite so far. What was the third secret given to the children at Fatima by the Virgin Mary in 1917 and why the cover up? Why isn't this information shared with the people even though the Pope knows what it is? Enjoyable information about the order of life in the Vatican.

Melanie K. (
melanie) reviewed on 2/11/2007...
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
You won't be able to put this one down, and I doubt that you will be able to guess "the third secret" either. The book is based upon the Fatima legend of the early 20th century. We just thought we had been told all of the secrets!

Dave R. (
DaveR) reviewed on 5/1/2007...
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Well written and fast paced.

Robert G. (
burosky) reviewed on 3/13/2007...
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Another book in the mold of the Da Vinci Code. Very good read. Kept me interested the whole way. Lots of twists and turns.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
New York Times Bestseller.. Da Vinci Code fans will flock to this story...An excellent, tightly plotted thriller.
fast paced compelling Gripping page turner.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book is not dry, altho the story line might lead one to think it would be. Father Michener, friend and papal secretary to the Pope, is embroiled in the politics of the Vatican. Something is bothering the Pope and his health is suffering. A visit to Romania, at the behest of the Pope, brings the good Father into contact with the woman in his past. This is a very good read!
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
If you're into the history, whether fact or fiction, about the catholic church, this is a good boo to read.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
A fascinating look inside the Vatican and its secrets. This book deals with the third secret of Fatima and the future of the Roman Catholic Church and its religious dogma. I thought it was great and now I want to read all of Steve Berry's other books. My new favorite author. Genny Sikes

Ralph M. (
TUFFUMP) reviewed on 5/4/2009...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Fast paced, lots of twists and turns, good and evil, keeps your interest until you find out the secret, and then it falls flat. What a let down for me but you decide for your self.

Vanezza S. (
vstover) reviewed on 1/19/2009...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Being raised a Catholic, I've always questioned many things about my belief. Although this book is ficticious, the questions that you end up thinking about are very real. Very good read, very suspensful. If you enjoyed The Davince Code, you will enjoy this too.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Murder mystery
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Papal thriller about the Third Secret of Our Lady of Fatima.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
An excellent and enjoyable thriller! Very interesting premise, and a satisfying read.
Ann M. reviewed on 2/6/2007...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Awesome - Very compelling! Fans of the Da Vinci Code will love this thriller set in modern day Vatican intrigue.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I just love Steve Berry, and this work catured my full attention! Great story, great pace, great ending!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Better than the Da Vinci Code!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Good Book. Papal secretary is concerned for the Pope who is hiding a secret concerning the revelations of Fatima.

Judy S. (
DrJ) reviewed on 1/23/2007...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Intriguing read!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Great book !

Linda R. (
LindaR77) reviewed on 1/16/2007...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Papal archives, secrets that will shake the world.

Kathryn H. (
kalar) reviewed on 1/8/2007...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Excellent thriller!

Jim H. (
Pecos45) reviewed on 12/29/2006...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Excellent murder mystery with fascinating insights into the higher workings of the Catholic Church unknown to those outside the hierarchy.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Interesting book, especially if you enjoyed the Da Vinci Code.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Very similar "DaVinci Code" in intrigue and "church" mystery.

J. D. (
NJGranny) reviewed on 11/19/2006...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Good read.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
For fans of Da Vinci Code
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
In my opinion, the best of Berry's books.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
The Papal succession, the three secrets of Fatima woven into a search novel by the hero, a Papal secretary. Autho Steve Berry serves tantalizingly true tidbits about the Church, and weaves them and some imagination into a great, readable novel ala Dan Brown. You like Brown...you'll like Berry. Perhaps a little tougher read than DaVinco Code, but worth the effort.

Stacy B. (
StacyB) reviewed on 9/23/2006...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Very good book. If you like Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code" and "Angels and Demons", this book is similar. Fast-paced and very interesting.

Dondra C. (
xenacat) reviewed on 11/19/2009...
Story line and characters kept me intensely interested throughout the entire book. I recommend it highly!!

Zale A. (
moncar) reviewed on 10/19/2009...
This is one of the best books I have read in a very long time!!!!! Berry does his homework, weaving facts and adding just enough fiction, plus suspense to keep you reading. His characters are extremely real and you can thoroughly relate to them. Don't pass this one up, read immediately and ENJOY!
Very interesting read, exciting too. I couldn't put it down once I started reading
I've tried 2 of Steve Berry's books now. This one and the Romanov Prophecy. This was the better book for me. It's easy to follow but not boring. I had trouble following the plot of Romanov Prophecy. Interesting to read about the old legends of the Church.
Set in the near future, Secret introduces Jakob Volkner--Pope Clement XV--a German "caretaker pope" who, nearing the age of 80, was elected as John Paul II's successor. But three years into his papacy, the thoughtful Clement has begun to quietly express skepticism about papal infallibility and the Church's restrictive dogma, and to make odd requests of his longtime secretary, Monsignor Colin Michener, an Irish-born but American-reared priest whose vows of celibacy have been tested--and found wanting. Clement has also made repeated visits to a guarded sanctum within the Vatican archives, where sacred and historic documents are stored. And he's dispatched Michener to Romania to locate an elderly cleric who, in the 1950s, translated three cryptic prophecies, purportedly offered by the Virgin Mary in 1917 to a trio of children in Fatima, Portugal. Those secrets have since been fully disclosed to the world. Or have they? That’s the question facing Michener in the wake of Clement's shocking suicide, as he pursues a twisted trail of clues, crimes, and religious forecasts from Rome to Bosnia to Germany, accompanied by his former lover, journalist Katerina Lew. But making any additional secrets known to the world will put Michener in confrontation with doctrinal reactionaries, led by Cardinal Alberto Valendrea, the Vatican's Italian secretary of state, who's determined to follow Clement as the Vicar of Christ--even if that requires inventing a few new sins and flouting a 900-year-old prediction of doom for the next pope.
Papal Secretary Father Colin Michener is concerned for the Pope. Night after restless night, something coaxes Pope Clement XV to the Vatican's private archive--something concerning the revelations ofFatima. When the Pope sends Michener on a mysterious errand to theRomanianhighlands, perilousevents unfold and Michener finds himself embroiled in suspicion, deceit, suicide and murder. Suddenly he is force to face the very thing that has so distressed the Pope--and must unravel a mystery that will shake the world.
The pope is concerned, something to do with the revelations of Fatima. Papal secretary Father Colin Michener is sent on a mysterious errand to the Romanian highlands. The unraveling of a mystery - the third secret - could very well shake the world. Interesting read, well-written, enjoyable.

Linda M. (
quilty45) reviewed on 10/6/2006...
Interesting premise for this book. Good mystery.

Billy T. (
sataro) reviewed on 9/30/2006...
This book is hard to put down once you start reading it. Definately will enertain you.
Billy T.
My husbands book. I have not read it.
Tom E. reviewed on 9/22/2006...
Tries to emulate Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, but falls short...as does everyone. But still a good read if you like that kind of mystery.

Melissa T. (
navynurse) reviewed on 9/13/2006...
Very suspenseful. Just like his other book. I really enjoyed it.
Well constructed story in the Davinci Code genre.

Linda P. (
katknit) reviewed on 8/2/2006...
What was the 3rd secret revealed to the children at Fatima?

Judy A. (
bjjudya) reviewed on 7/25/2006...
Papal secretary Father Colin Michener is concerned for the Pope. Night after night something coaxes Pope Clement XV to the Vatican's private archive--something concerning the revelations of Fatima. The Pope sends Michener on a mysterious errand to the Romanian highlands. Michener finds himself embroiled in suspicion, deceit, murder, and suicide. A must read if you have read any of Steve Berry's other books or The "Da Vinci Code."

CHRIS P. (
MaineMan) reviewed on 7/21/2006...
Some mystery concerning the revelations of Fatima coaxes the Pope to send someone on a mysterious errand, and perilous events unfold. In the DaVinci Code tradition. Suspenseful read.
Anyone who enjoyed The DaVinci Code MUST read this book!

Sandra J. (
drsjewell) reviewed on 6/25/2006...
Great story! The book starts a bit slow but then I couldn't put it down.

Coral S. (
actressB4) reviewed on 6/25/2006...
fascinating

Elizabeth G. (
ejgiese) reviewed on 6/20/2006...
A novel of Vatican intrique......great if you're curious about the workings of the conclave.
Just what you'd expect from another DaVinci Code knock-off
Although I thought the female lead character was a bit shallow, it was a fun read. I enjoyed it!
the new dan brown! excellent read

Anna D. (
Cavalier) reviewed on 6/4/2006...
His books keep getting better and better. Loved this one!
Great book if you are interested in religious history and the history of the Catholic church. Very well written. Action keeps going. A real page turner.
Dan Brown fans will enjoy this. Not as complex, though. Revolves around the secrets of Fatima.

Winn D. (
Sailor) reviewed on 4/24/2006...
This has a bit of everything but mostly suspense. There is a good deal of the politics in the Vatican. They can be cut throat you know. It is very modern timed our hero is a priest but he has sinned, read it to find out what the romance is. I enjoyed it. Lot of historical things too. On a scale of ten I rate it as eight. Enjoy, I sure did.
Another good book by Steve Berry. He is an upcoming adventure writer to watch!!

Damaris D. (
Erinyes) reviewed on 3/31/2006...
Great thriller. I was interested the entire way through. It was so good I wanted to read it twice. If you liked _The DaVinci Code_ you will love this one.
Steve Berry is one of those writers you love to read - from the get-go you are part of the ride. Each one of his works is a given that it will entertain, and get you thinking.
Secret deals with the message the Holy Virgin gave to the children at Fatima -
Has some of the grace of Angels and Demons, but not the wild ride of an ending, although a satisfactory one.
Definitely worth reading.
papal secretary father colin michener is concerned for the pope. night after restless night, something coaxes pope clement xv to the vaticans private archive-something concerning the revelations of fatima. when the pope sends michener on a mysterious errand to the romanian highlands, perilous events unforld and michener finds himself embroiled in suspision, deceit, suicide and murder.

James S. (
oldsarge) reviewed on 3/8/2006...
Very interesting read.,looking forward to more of his books.

Quin S. (
Quin) reviewed on 3/1/2006...
Good but a little dry for myself as it delves deeply into reports of the Marian mysteries and Catholic faith- if you are a Catholic and the DaVinci code offended you, you may want to give this a miss as it throws into question Catholic doctrine on some pretty hot topics.
Sue E. reviewed on 2/27/2006...
Very good!

Frances D. (
grandma5) reviewed on 2/15/2006...
same line as davinci code-templar legacy- interesting, especially if u have questions about the church

Angela S. (
echo123) reviewed on 2/12/2006...
If you loved the Da Vinci Code, you'll love Steve Berry. The Third Secret is even better than the fabulous The Romanov Prophecy.

Gerry L. (
remaxluke) reviewed on 2/10/2006...
If you liked DaVinci Code, you'll enjoy this. A new York Times Best Seller.