Having recently reviewed the author's magnificent Cicero trilogy, it was quite an adjustment to jump to the present day and focus upon the selection of a new Pope by the college of Cardinals. But Harris is such a fine writer, who so thoroughly does his research, and skillfully can explain concepts (whether the Roman Senate or the Church's Curia) to the uninitiated, that this was an easy transition. While I don't believe the current volume is as strong as some others Harris has written, there is no question that this man can spin a yarn that will entrap the reader, and maybe educate him a bit as well.
The pluses are many, including those identified above. Few writers are as skillful in building suspense while explaining procedures in this setting unfamiliar to most of us. He is particularly effective here in showing how the Cardinals were "politicking" while they were supposed not to engage in this very practice. He concisely explains through the characters what the Curia ("the heart and brain of the Church") is and how it functions in selecting a new Pope. The reader comes to understand such terms as "apostolic constitution" and "in pectore" or secret selection of a new Cardinal. I found the disagreements between the progressive and traditional wings of the college, which has been going on since at least the papacy of Pope John XXIII in the 1960's, and which has prompted fears of an eventual "Great Schism," to emerge with some clarity from the story.
However, even an author as skilled as Harris faces tremendous difficulties in rendering the election of a Pope as an exciting event. As one Cardinal mentions, it is "a laborious routine." Vote after vote occurs, each one virtually identical to the others. There is also a lot of praying going on which is not too stimulating to read. Basically, the action is limited to the Sistine Chapel and the Cardinals' dorm. So the basic story is not too exciting, though interesting.
Apparently to liven things up, Harris resorts to what I shall term the "surprise" and the "really big surprise." While the surprise (that involves terrorism) works well I think, given what Europe has recently experienced (especially France), the really big surprise right at the end I thought highly ill-advised and verging on sensationalism. It also immediately ends the novel so the reader is left to construct his own final conclusion to the story. These are just my personal reactions, but they do play a role for me in dropping to four stars rather than five. Nonetheless, a fine thriller well worthy of reading.
Once again, a fine job by Berryville Graphics in Virginia in producing the book.
Charles Michener