The Secret Cardinal

by Tom Grace Narrated by Christopher Lane

Overview

Inspired by true events, masterful storyteller Tom Grace delivers his most provocative novel yet. In The Secret Cardinal, ex-Navy SEAL Nolan Kilkenny returns in an adventure that races from the grandeur of the Vatican across the vastness of Asia, ultimately involving China, the Mafia, and the conclave of cardinals that will elect the next pope.

When Kilkenny is invited to Rome to consult on the functioning of the Vatican Library, he is still grieving the death of his wife and son and welcomes the distraction of the seemingly simple assignment. But Pope Leo XIV has a startlingly different task in mind for him. In a private audience, Kilkenny learns of an unreported atrocity committed against the underground Church in China and its link to Yin Daoming, the long-imprisoned Bishop of Shanghai who has served thirty years of a life sentence in a Chinese laogai for refusing to renounce the Church of Rome. The aging pope then reveals the dangerous truth about Bishop Yin, a secret that he has kept for over twenty years. Decades of diplomacy have failed to end China's persecution of the Catholics loyal to the pope, or to free Bishop Yin. The pope wants Yin free and asks Kilkenny to devise a plan to accomplish this seemingly impossible task.

With help from the U.S. president, American Special Forces, and the C.I.A., he assembles a team of ten men and one woman that will use some of the most advanced weapons, aircraft, and computer technology to execute this extraordinary mission. Filled with fascinating detail about the history, politics, and people of China and the Roman Catholic Church, and the clever advanced technology and weaponry that have become hallmarks of a Tom Grace novel, The Secret Cardinal charges relentlessly toward an unexpected and unforgettable conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Grace's latest featuring series hero ex-navy SEAL Nolan Kilkenny spins a complicated fugue around papal succession. After the tragic loss of his beloved wife and unborn son, Kilkenny arrives at the Vatican and is soon called to the side of the dying pope Leo XIV. The pope discloses that more than 20 years earlier he made Yin Daoming-who has been a religious prisoner in China for longer than that-a secret cardinal. He asks Kilkenny to head up a team to go to China, free Yin and bring him back to the Vatican. Standing in Kilkenny's way is intelligence agent Liu Shing-Li of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, a very serious fellow indeed. Interspersed with rescue mission chapters are detailed descriptions of the Vatican's inner workings and the details of the process of pope selection, which thrills-only readers may find distracting. But Grace (Bird of Prey) builds a suspenseful head of steam as Kilkenny and friends overcome twists and obstacles in a dangerous race against Liu's forces. (Oct.)

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Library Journal

One is the most powerful man in the Catholic Church. The other is a man the Chinese government wants to destroy but fears turning into a martyr. Both are men of peace. Grace's fifth thriller (after Bird of Prey) featuring former Navy SEAL Nolan Kilkenny begins with Kilkenny on assignment in Rome helping an old family friend improve Vatican Library operations. Soon Kilkenny is swept up in Pope Leo's dying wish-to save the long-imprisoned Yin Daoming, the bishop of Shanghai, whose only crime is practicing his faith. As Kilkenny and his elite team plan to rescue Yin and smuggle him out of China, covert forces try to thwart the rescue effort and prevent any chance of the bishop becoming the next pope. Grace's spinning web of international intrigue makes for a gripping read, and the character of Yin provides a look at the power of one man of faith against incredible obstacles. Recommended for all popular fiction collections.
—Susan O. Moritz

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169939064
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	10/10/2017
Series:	Nolan Kilkenny , #5
Edition description:	Unabridged

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