The Fifth Gospel: A Novel

The latest book I'm reading is The Fifth Gospel: A Novel by Ian Caldwell. So far I like it.

Kirkus Review calls it "a brilliant work " and you can read a review of it at The New York Times ... Review: 'Rule of Four' Author Thrills With Vatican Mystery. Here's a bit of it ...

The curator of a groundbreaking exhibit at the Vatican dies mysteriously hours before its premiere .... Caldwell's new novel is set in the waning years of John Paul II's papacy. The protagonist is Father Alex Andreou, a Greek Catholic priest who lives inside the Vatican with his 5-year-old son and who has been helping research the upcoming exhibit. The suspect in the curator's death is Andreou's brother, Simon, a Roman Catholic priest rising rapidly through the Vatican's diplomatic ranks.

Greek Catholics observe the traditions of the Greek Orthodox Church while obeying the Roman Catholic pope. Unlike the Roman Catholic priests with whom they serve, Greek Catholic priests can marry and have families. A relatively small group, they are a remnant of the 1,000-year-old split between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

As Alex Andreou works to clear his brother of their friend's murder, he learns that information crucial to bringing the churches together — or keeping them apart — could lie in a fifth gospel the curator discovered in the bowels of the Vatican library. The question is: Who would kill to keep it secret? ....

And here's a video of the author talking about the Vatican ...