Blurb;

Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, 118 cardinals are meeting in conclave to cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election.

They are holy men. But they are ambitious. And they have rivals. Over the next 72 hours, one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth. Who will it be?

Review:

I watched the film version of Conclave earlier this year without realising that it was based on a novel. I’ve had my copy of the book since then, and felt, for obvious reasons, that now would be the most appropriate time to read it. I’ve never read anything by this author before, but it’s clear why he’s so well respected. I was in awe of the way he managed to add drama and tension to a process which otherwise seems quite laborious. I knew very little about the conclave process before reading the novel and Robert Harris has clearly researched it in immense detail, but I never felt overwhelmed by the information and I was engaged from the outset.

The detail with which Robert Harris writes enables him to create each of the central characters, especially Lomeli, Adeyemi, Tremblay, Bellini and Benitez, in wonderful depth. They all have very different, but colourful, backgrounds and I loved exploring these against the backdrop of the ballots and discussions between the Cardinals. It also gives us the opportunity to consider really important issues such as race, religion and sexuality and I really appreciated how thought provoking the story was.

The plot of Conclave is very well constructed and I loved the secrets and lies that surrounded such a sacred process. I was intrigued by what each character was hiding as the story progressed and I loved all the twists and turns.

I would definitely like to read more by this author.

Conclave is available from Amazon.