Robert Hale
Featuring: Pope Clement XXI; Thierry Dulac
224 pages ISBN: 0719813042 EAN: 9780719813047 Kindle: B00JZB8WKU Hardcover / e-Book Add to Wish List
Inspector Thierry Dulac of Interpol was on vacation in
the Canadian Rockies when a helicopter alights nearby; he
is needed urgently in Rome. Pope Clement XXI has suffered
a heart attack, and while on his way to hospital he is
kidnapped along with his personal physician. After some
investigating, it is discovered that the Pope's illness
was drug-induced; it looks like an inside job as it seems
the kidnappers were familiar with the layout and goings-
on of the Vatican. The authorities and the Vatican try as
long as they can to hide the devastating news, but a
newspaper eventually breaks the story. There are attacks
against non-Catholic groups who are blamed for the
incident. Then the Vatican is asked for a huge ransom or
else the Pontiff will be "destroyed"...
THE CHIMERA SANCTION is a race against the clock and
around the world in order to find the Pope and avoid a
disaster of epic proportion for the Catholic Church. In a
game of cat and mouse, where religious resentment that
stems from the Middle Ages and secrets dating to WWII
resurface, allies cannot always be trusted and help comes
from the most unexpected sources. Some might want to
compare THE CHIMERA SANCTION to Dan Brown's work, but I
disagree, even though the premise revolves around secrets
buried by the Catholic Church, the resemblance stops
there.
I found Mr. Baby's knowledge of Vatican politics and
religious dogma particularly impressive. I also liked the
author's attention to detail, whether regarding
landscapes or the internal workings of Interpol, and I
really felt I was in the Vatican. However I thought it
fell a bit short as to Inspector Dulac's character
development, whereas it wasn't a problem with the most of
the other characters, which were very rich and quite
interesting. THE CHIMERA SANCTION is fast-paced, action-
packed, and surprisingly not very violent, and until the
conclusion I really didn't know how everything would turn
out. Well done!
Nothing is as it seems in this intriguing thriller in
which
a Pope is kidnapped, and an Interpol inspector must take
charge of the disorganized case
Pope Clement XXI is kidnapped, and the Curia, the Swiss
Guard, and the Italian police are overwhelmed. Thierry
Dulac
from Interpol is called in, but he, too, is thwarted at
every turn. His investigations hint at secrets held for
centuries, revenge, and omerta in the arcane, twisting
corridors of the Vatican itself. It seems the pontiff too
has been less than open. From the shadowy world of the
Vatican to the bustling Parisian boulevards, from the
charms
of the Florentine piazzas, to the searing bleakness of
Libya's Great Sand Sea Desert, Dulac fights to prise open
the plot which could cause havoc and disbelief among the
billions of Catholics across the globe and bring the
pontiff
back to safety.