Rating: 5 stars
Headline: A cat and mouse thriller, filled with lots of twists and turns that will keep you hooked until the very last page
Review:
Vatican Daughter is the new suspense thriller from American author Joni Iraci. Set predominantly in Italy, with brief nods to the cultures of New York City and Magallanes (Chile), the story follows the plight of Sophia as she searches, far and wide, for her long lost daughter Nevaeh. The twist to this tale is that the young Nevaeh is alive and well, secretly living a sheltered life behind the walls of Vatican City under the care of the Cardinal brotherhood. Unknown to Nevaeh, her true father is the pope himself, the American Papa Joseph (cue dramatic dun, dun, duuun!)
When talking about her inspiration for this 274 page novel, Iraci notes the true story of papal kidnappings of Jewish children in 1859. It is why it is also interesting to see this story to hop between different points of view, allowing readers to get close and personal to Sophia’s plight, while also following in the footsteps of Papa Joseph and the internal politics of Vatican City as senior member try to grapple with the situation. Papa Joseph cares of only one thing, stopping Sophia. The implications of either character failing their mission is clear-cut which makes Vatican Daughter very much a cat and mouse thriller, with all the twists and turns that keep readers hooked until the very last page.
The book is a great read, with well developed characters across the board. You get absorbed in the internal conflicts of many of the secondary players alongside the headline cast. Sophia represents a strong female lead who shows incredible strength and determination regardless of the setback. Scene setting also strikes a perfect balance between world building and description dumps, providing an immersive reading experience where readers can absorb all the sights, smells and tastes of the places where the characters are placed.
The fact that Iraci drops the bombshell of Nevaeh’s parentage in the opening chapter perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the book. There is no drawn out delay to the discovery, no intention of using this to boost a saggy middle. Readers learn this alongside Cardinal Roselli in the famous “Crying Room” beyond the Sistine Chapel, moments before Joseph adopts the papacy. This is a bold and clever move, hooking readers from the very first page.
A suspenseful thriller, in every sense.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – Book Review: “Vatican Daughter” by Joni Iraci
Purchase Link: Book Review: “Vatican Daughter” by Joni Iraci (Amazon)
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