God's Spy
Encyclopedia
God's Spy is a 2007 bestselling thriller novel by Juan Gómez-Jurado
originally published in Spain
. It has become an instant bestseller
throughout Europe with a million copies sold to date and is going to be published in 42 countries. The plot is set in the Vatican
, where, in the aftermath of Pope
John Paul II's death, the hunt for a serial killer
and sex offender
— and former priest — reveals a chilling conspiracy
. It is a detective story where the psychological portrait of Victor Karosky, the serial killer (which name is known from the first line of the book) is the spine of the novel. The action also takes place in a Maryland
institution called the Saint Matthew Institute, a center for the rehabilitation of priest with a history of sexual abuse, which is based in a real life place. This subject has aroused controversial issues in Catholic
countries as Spain and Poland
.
There is also a number of minor, real life characters, e.g. George W. Bush
, John Negroponte
, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and many others.
Juan Gómez-Jurado
Juan Gómez-Jurado is an award-winning Spanish journalist and bestselling author. Currently, he is a columnist in "La Voz de Galicia," and "ABC", distributed in Spain, and he participates in several radio and TV programs...
originally published in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It has become an instant bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
throughout Europe with a million copies sold to date and is going to be published in 42 countries. The plot is set in the Vatican
Apostolic Palace
The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, which is located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Sacred Palace, the Papal Palace and the Palace of the Vatican...
, where, in the aftermath of Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
John Paul II's death, the hunt for a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
and sex offender
Sex offender
A sex offender is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and by legal jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions compile their laws into sections such as traffic, assault, sexual, etc. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crimes of a...
— and former priest — reveals a chilling conspiracy
Conspiracy (political)
In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....
. It is a detective story where the psychological portrait of Victor Karosky, the serial killer (which name is known from the first line of the book) is the spine of the novel. The action also takes place in a Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
institution called the Saint Matthew Institute, a center for the rehabilitation of priest with a history of sexual abuse, which is based in a real life place. This subject has aroused controversial issues in Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
countries as Spain and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Plot summary
From the book cover:
In the days following the Pope's death, a cardinalCardinal (Catholicism)A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
is found brutally murdered in a chapel in Rome, his eyes gouged and his hands cut off. Called in for the grisly case, police inspector Paola Dicanti learns that another cardinal was recently found dead; he had also been tortured. Desperate to find the killer before another victim dies, Paola's investigation is soon joined by Father Anthony Fowler — an American priest and former Army intelligence officer examining sexual abuse in the Church, who knows far more about the killer than Paola could possibly imagine.
Characters in God's Spy
- Paola Dicanti — The leading character, a police inspector and profiler.
- Father Victor Karosky— A pedophile priest, now a serial killer.
- Maurizio Pontiero — Paola's partner.
- Fabio Dante — Deputy inspector at Vatican Police.
- Carlo Troi — Paola's boss.
- Father Anthony Fowler— A mysterious priest.
- Andrea Otero— A Spanish journalist.
- Angelo Biffi— forensic sculptor and digital image expert.
- Camilo Cirin— General inspector at Vatican Police.
- Canice Conroy— Former director of the Saint Matthew Institute.
There is also a number of minor, real life characters, e.g. George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, John Negroponte
John Negroponte
John Dimitri Negroponte is an American diplomat. He is currently a research fellow and lecturer in international affairs at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs...
, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and many others.
Book information
God's Spy by Juan Gómez-Jurado- Hardcover - ISBN 0-525-94994-1 (First edition, April 5, 2007) published by Dutton (a Penguin GroupPenguin GroupThe Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the largest in the world , having overtaken Random House in 2009. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations...
Imprint)