The Order

The Order by Daniel Silva  496 pp.

In this, the latest Gabriel Allon tale, the suspicious death of the Pope distracts Mossad Director Allon from a much needed family vacation. Pope Paul VII, whose life was saved by Allon in The Messenger, dies in his chambers while his personal secretary, Archbishop Luigi Donati is away from the Vatican. Because of the circumstances of the death and missing items from the Pope's study, Donati believes the Pope was murdered. He calls on his friend Allon to help investigate and together they learn of a plot by the secret Order of St. Helena, an organization with connections to the Nazis, to place the candidate of their choice as Pope and bolster the rise of their cause in Europe. Silva draws from today's headlines for much of the story's background. I only hope he is not as prescient as he was about the Arab Spring events in Portrait of a Spy. I usually read Silva's books as soon as it comes out and then wait impatiently for a year for the next one. I waited a bit before starting this one and now only have to wait 11 months. The audiobook was read by my favorite narrator, George Guidall, who does an excellent job, as always.