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    The Third Secret
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    The Third Secret
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    The Third Secret
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Third Secret

    Written by Steve Berry

    Narrated by Paul Michael

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Explosive in both its pace and its revelations, The Third Secret is a remarkable international thriller. Bestselling author Steve Berry tackles some of the most controversial ideas of our time in a breakneck journey through the history of the Church and the future of religion.

    Fatima, Portugal, 1917: The Virgin Mary appears to three peasant children, sharing with them three secrets, two of which are soon revealed to the world. The third secret is sealed away in the Vatican, read only by popes, and not disclosed until the year 2000. When revealed, its quizzical tone and anticlimactic nature leave many faithful wondering if the Church has truly unveiled all of the Virgin Mary's words-or if a message far more important has been left in the shadows.

    Vatican City, present day: Papal secretary Father Colin Michener is concerned for the Pope. Night after restless night, Pope Clement XV enters the Vatican's Riserva, the special archive open only to popes, where the Church's most clandestine and controversial documents are stored. Though unsure of the details, Michener knows that the Pope's distress stems from the revelations of Fatima.

    Equally concerned, but not out of any sense of compassion, is Alberto Cardinal Valendrea, the Vatican's Secretary of State,. Valendrea desperately covets the papacy, having narrowly lost out to Clement at the last conclave. Now the Pope's interest in Fatima threatens to uncover a shocking ancient truth that Valendrea has kept to himself for many years.

    When Pope Clement sends Michener to the Romanian highlands, then to a Bosnian holy site, in search of a priest-possibly one of the last people on Earth who knows Mary's true message-a perilous set of events unfolds. Michener finds himself embroiled in murder, suspicion, suicide, deceit, and his forbidden passion for a beloved woman. In a desperate search for answers, he travels to Pope Clement's birthplace in Germany, where he learns that the third secret of Fatima may dictate the very fate of the Church-a fate now lying in Michener's own hands.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 31, 2005
    ISBN9781415925553
    Unavailable
    The Third Secret
    Author

    Steve Berry

    Steve and Phil were founder members of the TV Cream nostalgia website and have written several books on popular culture.

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    Reviews for The Third Secret

    3.5/5

    437 ratings28 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Another great book by Steve Berry.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed this.
    • 4/5
      very good book. this typically isn't the type of book I would read but it was given to me and I was engrossed from the beginning. At times it was a bit confusing and should be read without distractions so you can keep focused.
    • 4/5
      A tame thriller (is that an oxymoron?) set in the Vatican involving mysteries and secrets of related historic apparitions predicting the future. I actually enjoyed this mix of truth (?) and fiction. Having been raised Catholic, it's fun to read a humanistic account of intense church teachings and the portrayal of the not-so-perfect heirarchy.Good light reading with a great ending. I imagine there are Catholics out there shuddering that I would treat this so lightly. But then I have long ago rejected the church teachings that are so obviously man-made and which serve the greed and vanity of the powerful. Several current themes with which the church is struggling are tackled in this book.
    • 4/5
      Being raised Catholic, most things were familiar to me. Berry made them intriguing and carried out the mystery of the third message of Fatima to an improbable but thoughtful end. How great it would have been had it really happened this way.
    • 4/5
      Excellent! I enjoyed this one even more than the Cotton Malone series.
    • 4/5
      I was a little late reading this older novel of Steve Berry but I am glad I picked it up. It's a really good story based on some truth and expounded upon by Berry regarding the Popes and the secret of Fatima. Of course, there is love and murder involved. A good quick read.
    • 4/5
      A mystery about the third secret of Our Lady of Fatima. Papal thriller.
    • 4/5
      A tame thriller (is that an oxymoron?) set in the Vatican involving mysteries and secrets of related historic apparitions predicting the future. I actually enjoyed this mix of truth (?) and fiction. Having been raised Catholic, it's fun to read a humanistic account of intense church teachings and the portrayal of the not-so-perfect heirarchy.Good light reading with a great ending. I imagine there are Catholics out there shuddering that I would treat this so lightly. But then I have long ago rejected the church teachings that are so obviously man-made and which serve the greed and vanity of the powerful. Several current themes with which the church is struggling are tackled in this book.
    • 3/5
      This one, about prophecies by Catholic saints and battles to become Pope was a bit over the top, even for this author.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed this book very much. Held my curiosity in regards to the many visions of the Virgin Mary throughout the history of the Catholic Church and what message she was delivering. Learned a lot about the process of selecting the popes and intrigue within the Vatican. I definitely will be reading more Steve Berry books as I find his writing very pleasing.
    • 2/5
      This book has a very strong amateurish feel to it. The correct Vatican terminology and the historical elements that certainly took some research effort do not make up for the cartoonish charachters, the weak plot, the unrealistic behaviour of almost everyone involved in the story, and the lack of any real tension throughout the narration. I haven't read many books as bad as this one.
    • 4/5
      Timing is everything. I began this book the day after the election of Pope Francis II. The politics that go on in the Vatican, and in particular within the Curia, are no less intricate and full of intrigue than politics in any other country. The secret pursued throughout the book is also appropriate to the social upheavl that seems to constantly plague the US. This one is worth reading twice.
    • 4/5
      Very interesting novel, but I question if the author knows the difference between Catholic doctrine, dogma ansd teachings.
    • 4/5
      an excellent thriller which brings forth the political manipulations that go on in the selection of Pope at Vatican told in an engaging way.An entertaining and also an informative read.
    • 4/5
      “The Third Secret” is the second Steve Berry book I listened to recently and enjoyed it as much as the first (“The Romanov Prophesy”). This one deals with the Catholic Church and the Marian apparitions in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. A third secret is revealed, but popes for years kept it under wraps until 2000. But its message still isn’t clear. In the book, the current pope, Clement XV, comes to discover what it really means. But Secretary of State Alberto Cardinal Valendrea, who wants to be pope, also knows what the third secret says…and he wants to keep it a secret. In the middle of it all is Papal secretary Father Colin Michener, a close friend and son-like figure to the Pope. The battle between Pope Clement, Cardinal Valendrea, Michener, and the Virgin Mary’s words makes for an interesting, fast-paced, thoughtful historical novel.I really only have two complaints about the book. One is that the third secret is teased in front of the reader so often it gets a little old. Sure, its revelation is pretty much the point of the book, but we frequently get so close to hearing its content before Berry snatches it away, its starts to get frustrating. In contrast, I’m reminded of how relatively early on in “The DaVinci Code” we hear of the big secret. The other complaint is some of the content of the third secret, once we finally do hear it. I’m not Catholic, nor of course will I reveal the secret here. But, I do take issue with one of the revelations. If you’ve read it and want to discuss it with me, feel free.I will return to Berry soon as I enjoy his work a great deal.
    • 4/5
      Steve Berry's "The Third Secret" is a conspiracy thriller in the same vein as the Da Vinci Code. It centers around the Catholic Church and an alleged cover up of secrets revealed in various Marian visions throughout history. The protagonist is Father Colin Michener, secretary to the fictional Pope Clement XV. He is tasked with much of the legwork in uncovering the truth of the Marian aparitions and unveiling the truth to the world, all while trying to elude powerful members of the Church's dead set on keeping the secret just that--a secret.It's plain that a lot of research went into this book, because it is rich with details of Rome, the Vatican, and Church traditions. The depth of detail makes the book quite enjoyable. And let's face it, the more authentic detail included, the more credible the rest of the bullcrap conspiracy theories seem. The book is a thriller through and through. It's got good pacing, easily identifiable stock characters, and a tight plot. It throws out some interesting questions about religion and the nature of dogma, but in content it's nothing all that new--just another conspiracy thriller riding the Da Vinci Code's coat tails. But it's still a good read. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for some fast-paced, light reading with a Catholic bent.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed the suspense of this book
    • 4/5
      A great read. Berry puts us in the middle of a huge religious controversy simultaneously with the selection of a new pope. Lots of intrigue and mystery along with some pretty good details relative to the Vatican and papal affairs. He really keep us involved waiting for the big relevation - which is a biggie!!
    • 5/5
      A cracking good read, a real nailbiter
    • 5/5
      Another good read from Steve Berry.
    • 4/5
      This book deals with secrets surpressed by a corrupt Catholic church that threaten to change the face of Christianity and especially the face of the Catholic church. While a good read, some of the ideas presented are fairly unbelievable. However, with a suspension of belief and within the context of this book, they make sense and add to the story. A simple quick read and I think a good introduction into the world of political/religious intrigue novels. Recommend this one.
    • 3/5
      I wasn't especially impressed with this one -- it felt forced and overly dramatic. Lots of writers have done similar storylines & have done it better. I had some trouble keeping the characters straight & the storyline seemed disjointed at times, but that may have been attributable to this being the abridged audio version.
    • 2/5
      Somehow, this story just took too long to really take off and, once it did, it was over too quickly. Not nearly as much action as in Berry's prior books.
    • 4/5
      I probably could have recommended this book until I read the end. Berry uses this book as an indictment of the Catholic church and their policies. Berry does a better job of writing than Dan Brown does, and he does his homework. I just wish that he would stick to historical (non religious) topics and not the church. I enjoyed the Romanov Prophesy more..
    • 5/5
      Ok, I am a sucker for anything written by Steve Berry. Playing with the myths and hidden things of history and turning it into a twisting turning story...shall always make me love you. Admittedly...knowing how much they are the 'it' thing right now I've limited myself to well Dan Brown obviously...and Steve. He wrote about the Romanovs...The Amber Room....I loved and adored it all. He has one on the Templar's which I am a sucker for... and now the third secret at Fatima. Really....I love everything by him. So...if you like that kind of stuff...and you haven't read anything by him...*hits people over the head* DO IT!
    • 4/5
      The Third Secret is another good mystery/thriller from Steve Berry. Father Colin Michener, the secretary to the Pope, finds himself embroiled in a mystery surrounding various Marian revelations and secrets. Michener is sent by the Pope to search for the truth behind the third secret of Fatima, a revelation that happened in Portugal in the early 20th century. Along the way, Michener finds himself re-involved Katerina Lew, a woman with whom he had an affair many years ago. As he tries to find answers regarding the revelations, Michener also struggles with ideas about where love and passion fit into his faith.Berry has created an interesting story with a good plot that keeps the reader involved. However, Berry does not do a good job of drawing a character, although he does better in The Third Secret than he has in previous books. I also found myself disappointed when the third secret is finally revealed close to the end of the book; it's a bit too "21st century" for my taste (and I'm not even Catholic). Overall, though, this is an entertaining read.
    • 3/5
      Here's the deal: if you hated the DaVinci Code for its content, you'll probably really hate this one. Me, I know it's fiction (like the DaVinci Code), so the content didn't really bother me. But I think I was a wee bit disappointed in the story; I guess I expected something a little more earth-shattering as far as a revelation at the end. I was hoping for something a little more explosive, I suppose. Oh well. I saw this book reviewed on Amazon by one customer as "an insult to all Christians..." I mean, get real! Read the blurb in the dust jacket then decide if you want to read it or not. It's FICTION, okay??? If you're easily insulted, don't read it!Having said this, let me try a brief synopsis:The "Third Secret" is the last of the secrets entrusted by the Virgin Mary to three children back in 1917 in Fatima, Portugal. Personally, I'm fascinated by the whole phenomenon of Virgin Mary sightings...in tortillas, in a grilled cheese sandwich, on windows, in blotches on the street. But then again, I have always been interested in goddess literature and studies relating the Virgin Mary to vestiges of goddess worship. Moving right along, there were 3 messages in total given to these children. Berry examines the notion that the third of these, made public by John Paul II in 2000, was not the actual message...that there was a plot to cover up its real contents because it would shake the faith of the modern Catholic world. The girl, Lucia, who received that message, was in her 90s at the time this secret was made public and according to Berry's novel, her hearing was failing, her eyesight bad, and she had been sworn to secrecy, yet she confirmed that the message made public by the pope was the one given to her by the Virgin Mary. In Berry's novel, he notes that these documents were contained under lock and key in the Riserva, the private archives so secret that only the Pope could go in there and have access to the documents stored there. In the story, a number of popes knew the true secret, and in the case of John XXIII, he wept while reading it. As the novel opens, we are in the reign of Pope Clement XV, a German pope who knows the secret and is troubled by it. He has been on the papal throne for 34 months and he is torn because he knows he should let the world know, but also knows that he would be tearing the Catholic world apart once he reveals the secret. He sends a friend Colin Michener, a priest at the Vatican, to Romania to contact a Father Tibor, currently working in an orphanage there. Father Tibor, it seems, was the translator of the Third Secret, and Clement wants advice as to what he should do. Clement does not entrust the secret to Michener, but sends him on the mission. Now this wouldn't be so complicated, except for the fact that at the same time, the cardinal who did not become the pope in the conclave where Clement was elected, Valendrea, can't wait to become pope and is already exercising his power over those who would support him in the event of the death of Clement. He is one of the nastiest villains I've seen in a long time and I really enjoyed his character. Anyway, he knows something about the third secret and sends his goons and a reporter that Michener was once in love with after Michener to keep track of what he learns in Romania. As Michener learns more, things begin to heat up at the Vatican and the suspense sets in up until the last minute of the book.If you like books about religious conspiracies, startling revelations & really evil people, you'll like this one. I thought the book was okay; made for an interesting two days and one night of reading. The pace is good, and the book is suspenseful, but to me, I just wasn't wowed by the revelations at the end. I had the most fun with Valendrea's character...what an evil genius!