THE FOURTH PROPHECY

The pope is in peril and only an international man of Marian mystery can save him.

Superstar academic Cal Donovan, esteemed Harvard professor of religion and archaeology, roguish lady’s man, and loyal cat’s-paw of the pope, returns in this weirdly sedate thriller concerning an earthshaking “fourth secret” divulged by the famous apparition of Mary to three young children at Fátima in 1917. Lúcia dos Santos, the principal recipient of the vision’s message, described some of Mary's revelations and prophecies, which included visions of hell, the advent of World War II, and the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981. Long-standing rumors of a fourth, as yet undisclosed, secret prophecy come to a head some nine decades later on the cusp of Lúcia’s beatification as the pope is threatened by a mysterious group with their own designs regarding the secret vision. Our man Donovan is tasked with solving the mystery of the fourth prophecy before Lúcia is sainted a few days hence and the promised doom arrives. The Marian apparitions make for an intriguing thriller setup, but the thin characterizations and lack of momentum—despite the plot’s ticking clock—sap the narrative of any thrills it might have yielded. We mostly follow the dashing, wish-fulfillment uber-mensch Donovan through a series of densely expository conversations with various church officials as he doggedly tracks Lúcia’s secret. The Catholic history vividly imparted in these interviews is the most compelling aspect of the book; scenes involving kidnappings, car chases, and the like are desultory and generic. There is some small entertainment to be had chuckling at the clichés (incorrigible rake Donovan is assisted by a gorgeous nun) and the frankly bizarre characterization of the Vatican as a sort of supernatural MI6, with the pope as a twinkly, kindly M and Donovan, a devout James Bond.

A rote Dan Brown knockoff, though well researched and often unintentionally amusing.