The Petrus Prophecy (Vatican Secret Archive Thrillers)

Review
"Another ARC from my immensely talented namesake, and a particularly exciting instalment to his Vatican mysteries series. As with all Gary's books, you know exactly what to expect: a likeable, intelligent and virtuously trustworthy team of amateur sleuths; a powerful and arch-criminal nemesis; and an incredible amount of factual research, mixed with creative licence. The only thing you don't know is which ancient artefact or religious doctrine will be the focus. I have to admit, half a dozen or so books into the series, this group of clerical crime-fighters is really starting to grow on me, and now layers particularly of arguably main character Father Michael Dominic are being peeled back with each outing, I'm liking it.
This time, what is at stake would appear to be the very Apocalypse itself, and the team are not charged with stopping it, so much, as uncovering the potential fraud it obviously is, who is behind it and why. In doing so, they carry out their usual globetrotting and puzzle-solving, all the while with the Vatican as their home base and primary setting. Gary is an extraordinary author, absolutely unique in the respect that I have really come across one so meticulous, so well educated in terms of theology, history and geo-politics. He is the type of professional that the rest of us can only aspire to be, and even helpfully sets out for us in an actually very welcome appendix just what is reality and what is created in his book; it is fair to say that most of us will clearly see just what actual knowledge Gary is sharing with us throughout. Obviously no-one is born with that level of innate knowledge, and most of us don't graduate with it either, so I think it is fair to say that he has done a tremendous, jaw dropping amount of research into this book, as with all in this series. Sometimes, I'll admit, these books feel like a showcase for this knowledge and research, particularly geographical, but I say if you have it, flaunt it; and if you don't have it, learn it. Gary shows us mere mortal writers how fact-based fiction should be done.
Admittedly, the books in the series all adhere to formula, and this is no different: the first half is usually spent building the intrigue and creating the story; the second half is when all the action happens - and Gary does a good job, as always, of incorporating all of his action-oriented cast. This is a pretty good instalment to the saga, and definitely one of my favourites. But, as always with these books, the outstanding, flabbergasting work of the author and his factual-creativity are the real stars. The way he crafts the copiously abundant facts into fiction is quite simply stunning." —MATT McAVOY REVIEWS (UK) (No relation to author)
"Gary McAvoy never ceases to amaze with his stellar writing, one of the reasons I rushed to begin the latest novel in the Vatican Secret Archive series, featuring Father Michael Dominic. As McAvoy collaborates with Ronald L. Moore, they examine yet another mystery housed within the Vatican, while sinister forces seek to push the limits once again. McAvoy and Moore guide readers through a historical event shrouded in secrecy, providing plausible possibilities, which only amp up the level of curiosity. The story of the Secrets of Fatima is one known to many Catholics around the world. When Pope John Paul II revealed the third secret in 2000, he did so to dispel much of the hype that had built up over the past forty years, when his predecessors began refusing to share the secret with the general public. Now, an American priest and scholar is dead, and a group known as the Knights of the Apocalypse (KOTA) claim that the End Times are nigh, as they prepare to reveal the true text of the secret. Father Michael Dominic is pulled into the middle, seeking to find the true document and ensure the sitting pope is privy to its meaning, so that the Church can face its enemies, including those from within. McAvoy and Moore do a sensational job with