THE THIRD SECRET
Steve Berry

Synopsis: Visions of the Virgin Mary, secret documents and politicking in the highest echelons of the Catholic Church—Berry (The Amber Room) combines combustive elements in this well-researched thriller. In 1917, the Virgin Mary revealed herself to three children in Fatima, Portugal, disclosing three secrets to the eldest, Lucia, who shared the first two secrets soon after their revelation but left the last to be disclosed upon her death. This third secret was released to Pope John XXIII in 1960 and made public by Pope John Paul II in 2000... or was it? - Publishers Weekly

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April 06, 2008

"To you," Jasna said,"what is real is only what you can touch. But there is so much more. So much you cannot possibly imagine. And though it cannot be touched, it is nonetheless real." - Ch. 40, pg 233

Review: To preface, yes I am religious, and yes I am Catholic. I do not mind anti-Catholic or liberal propoganda in fictional work as long as it is well-written. With that said, The Third Secret was a frustrating novel that left me irritated in the end.

The Third Secret had a lot of potential. I love novels that incorporate factual history and this one made me want to learn more about the Marian visions of Medugorje and the prophecies of St. Malachy. But I could not get past the fact that a) Berry seemed to pander to Catholic progressives and b) after all of the build up that the third secret was given, the final revelation was completely unimaginative, predictable, and downright ridiculous.

I don't mind religious impossibilities as long as it doesn't come with a hidden agenda. Reading the dialogue, it felt as if Berry was projecting through his characters, allowing the Virgin Mary to say things that reflected his own personal religious inclinations. The words just did not flow naturally in order to feel as if he was not shoving his personal views on his readers.

As for the promise from this excerpt:

"Suddenly he is forced to face the very thing that has so distressed the Pope-and must unravel a mystery that will shake the world."

Well, the mystery that was supposed to shake the world didn't live up to the hype. Ignoring the knowledge that the third secret is not plausable, what bothered me more was the fact that it was so anti-climactic. Where was the controversy? The ending totally discredited the entire book which is why I knocked off all of those stars. Considering Berry had fictional license, he could've gotten away with something more...apocalyptic. But no, he really blew it with this one.

As for the comparison between Steve Berry and Dan Brown, I can safely say without bias that Berry is not in the same league as Dan Brown. The Third Secret is weak work compared to Angels and Demons.

All in all, I found this book to be quite disappointing.

NAVIGATION

CHALLENGES

BIBLIOPHILE