Vatican: A Novel

From dust jacket notes: "...Vatican is a rich and monumental saga with a scope and daring that slice through the protective secrecy of the Roman Catholic church to reveal as never before the lives of men and women entangled in the extraordinary battle between faith and power. Spanning five decades and set against a background of Old World palaces and sumptuous villas, papal apartments and cardinals' quarters, Vatican teems with an unforgettable cast of characters. Popes, bishops, and bankers, saints and sinners, men and the women they love intertwine and clash with each other amid the dramatic events that affect the daily lives of nearly a billion people in every corner of the world...."