‘The Concordat’ by Sean Heary

Published by Matador,
28 July 2018.
ISBN 978 1789013 443(PB)

Inspector General Lorenzo (Enzo) Rossi, head of the Vatican Police, is the hero of The Concordat. Fast approaching forty, Rossi is good at his job.  He is also tall dark and handsome and, much to his mother’s chagrin, still single.

Rossi is dispatched to Bonn, Germany to recover what is believed to be a forged Concordat, dated 1939, between the Vatican and the Nazi Government. The inflammatory document states that the Vatican would agree to cease opposition to the Nazi government in return for being appointed the official state religion of the Third Reich.  Clearly no such document, genuine or forged, can be allowed to see the light of day.  Rossi has to acquire it for the Vatican before anyone else has a chance to make mischief out of its contents.

Bad weather delays Rossi and when he eventually arrives in Germany he finds his contact has been killed and the Concordat stolen, probably by the lady who was coming out of the meeting place just as he was entering it.  The lady is working for the Russians but lives in Paris, Rossi’s next port of call.  In Paris the Concordat eludes him once again and he ends up taking a plane to Moscow to confront the might of the Russian FSB (Federal Security Service) that, instructed by Russian President Volkov, has instigated the whole charade.

In Moscow Rossi is helped by members of the CIA bureau, particularly the beautiful Cathy Doherty who falls for Rossi. Rossi rejects Cathy because he believes the way she dresses means that she spends her time hopping in and out of bed with different men.  The body count rises steadily as fixers and clergy fall victim whilst protecting their country, their church, or both. There is a nail-biting climax involving Russian and American planes.

The Concordat is an enjoyable, fast-moving, suspenseful story populated by a good variety of interesting characters, some of whom are almost super-human.  The politics involved between the different factions and churches are complicated but enhance rather than detract from the narrative.  There is also humor and plenty of human interest, including Rossi’s attempts to make his mama happy.  I am really looking forward to meeting Inspector Rossi again in the sequel to the Concordat.

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Reviewer Angela Crowther

Sean Heary is a former business executive who lived for many years only a stone’s throw from the Kremlin. No wonder he writes political thrillers. Born and raised in Australia, Sean now makes Germany his home. The Concordat is his first book.

Angela Crowther is a retired scientist.  She has published many scientific papers but, as yet, no crime fiction.  In her spare time Angela belongs to a Handbell Ringing group, goes country dancing and enjoys listening to music, particularly the operas of Verdi and Wagner.