Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times Book Review This could become the Catholic version of The Satanic Verses. Harris has written a gripping, smart book. "Robert Harris, creator of grand, symphonic thrillers from Fatherlandto An Officer and a Spy, scores with a chamber piece of a novel set in the Vatican in the days after a fictional pope dies.An illuminating read for anyone interested in the inner workings of the Catholic Church for prelate-fiction superfans, it is pure temptation." Kirkus Reviews, starred review" a modern-day story that explores the power, glory and skullduggery behind the process of electing a new pope.Īn impressive outing from an extremely versatile author. The smartest bestselling author at work today. He pulls off the difficult trick of making his cardinals seem no less holy for all their human foibles and, although this ruminative and low-key novel is very different from Harris s other books, it is well up to their standard. The novel begins to grip like a vice and manages to convey all the drama of an election without resorting to melodrama. gripping.įast-written and suspenseful, it s elegantly written entertainment from a first-rate storyteller.ĭespite papal fiction being such a crowded church, Harris, in Conclave, contrives a twist involving the number of cardinal-electors that seems to me completely new. This entertaining and satisfying page-turner tells the tense story of the Machiavellian machinations of ambitious men, locked in a power-struggle that can only end in a puff of white smoke and power.Īmbition and intrigues are familiar ground to a former political journalist. Conclave is admirably brisk and its final twist is great fun.Ī slick and fast-paced thriller. An ecclesiastical version of House of Cards. There are plenty of plot twists, revelations and high politicking to hook readers in. Conclave is a triumphant addition to Harris s acclaimed output.Ī gripping read. The more one looks, the more cunning the book seems. Conclave, though, is more than a crime novel, it is also a psychological and political thriller. Nonetheless, there is only one possible word to describe Robert Harris s new novel, and it is this: unputdownable.Ī gripping read in the authentic Harris mould.
During my 25-odd years of writing about books I have done my best to avoid cliches, slipshod summaries, oracular pronouncements and indeed anything else that might appear emblazoned on a book jacket. I am about to use a word I have never knowingly used in any review of any book ever.
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