Tom Grace

Based loosely on Pope John Paul II's secret elevation of a Chinese bishop to cardinal, in this novel, a dying pope's last wish is to liberate a Chinese bishop, who has been imprisoned for 30 years. Nolan Kilkenny is tasked with this daring rescue, and he assembles a team of special ops personnel of Chinese descent and takes prototype aircraft for his escape. Meanwhile, the caretaker pope is balancing the pressures of this mission, the election of a successor pope, and the treachery of a show more cardinal, who puts the mission at risk. The star of the novel is the Chinese cardinal, who is loved by all the people, whose lives he touches. Grace's endnotes are not to be missed. show less

For its genre, The Secret Cardinal is top notch. It's more of an action/espionage story than a thriller, but it does its job well: lots of explosions, gadgetry and testosterone. What separates this book from others, however, is its respectful portrayal of the Catholic Church and the inner workings of the Vatican. Rough language and a scene of intense torture make this book questionable for anyone under high school age.

I read this book under the title of 'Polar Quest'. There is surely no coincidence that there is a recommendation from Clive Cussler on the over and this is very much in the style of and very similar to his plot lines. For Nolan Kilkenny=Dirk Pitt, in fact it was rather unfortunate that I had read this soon after 'Atlantis Found' as a lot of the plot devices and characters seem to repeat from that, even down to the artic scenes. The plot did seem to unravel towards the end and we never get to show more find what was found in the artic lake, although an enjoyable enough thriller. show less

The ailing and beloved Pope Leo meets with ex-Navy Seal Nolan Kilkenny to share his concerns about a imprisoned catholic priest in China. This priest is one the Pope has named a cardinal in his heart (not publically) but who he would like to have rescued. Soon after this meeting the pope dies and the cardinals meet to elect his successor--but the secret mission to extract the Chinese cardinal Yin Daoming continues. Will they be able to rescue Yin? And if they do and deliver him back to the show more conclave how will his appearance affect the election? Wanting to find out the answers to these questions will keep you reading.
A good thrill read, not much in the way of character development. I found the details about the inner workings of the vatican and the china scenes interesting. I didn't realize that Nolan Kilkenny is a series character, but I would definitely be willing to try another in this series after reading this one. show less