The Unholy Trinity by Paul Adam

by Paul Adam

Andy Chapman, Rome correspondent for a London newspaper, investigates the brutal killing of a controversial left-wing priest and discovers evidence which appears to implicate the Vatican in the death. He turns his information over to the investigating magistrate, the beautiful Elena Fiorini, and together they begin a hunt for the killers. Probing deeper, they find themselves up against the might of the Catholic Church and a sinister network of neo-Fascist fanatics. They are drawn into a terrifying web of betrayal and violent death, and their own lives are put at risk.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Italy, Thriller

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Librarian's Note: There is more than one author with this name on Goodreads database.

- Paul Adam is an English writer of novels for both adults and younger readers. He studied law at Nottingham University, then began a career in journalism, working both in England, in his childhood town of Sheffield, and Rome. Since then he has written 11 critically acclaimed thrillers for adults and the Max Cassidy series of thrillers for younger readers about a teenage escapologist, the first of which, Escape from Shadow Island, won the Salford Children's Book Award. His books have sold widely around the world and have been translated into several foreign languages. He has also written film and television scripts. Adam lived in Nottingham for many years but now lives in Sheffield with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This thriller takes place in Italy. There's a lot of Italy, the Catholic Church and Mussolini in it. One thing that I didn't like this book was that it was just assumed there was no such thing as being loyal to your spouse or significant other. Only one character in the whole book believes in sexual fidelity and you just feel kind of bad for her, since she divorces her ex-husband because he was cheating and then meets this great guy...who ends up cheating on her with a woman who is married (triple cheating?). She never finds out, and I just felt like she BELIEVES she's found this great guy...and, I don't know, it kind of seems to be suggesting that she can trust him more to be faithful because he's English and not Italian (like the author is saying that people born in Italy, especially men, just CANNOT be sexually faithful), but that doesn't end up to be true because the Brit cheats on her too. So what is the author saying? All men are dogs? Forgive me, this is totally NOT the main plot of the book, but it was what bugged me the most. The rest is stolen identity, dirty priests, murders, fascists, money laundering, suicide, dirty politicians, etc.

[Gaby Meares · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Rome, a well known and controversial left-wing priest is found brutally murdered. Andy Chapman is an English foreign correspondent, who has been reporting from Italy for over eight years. When he discovers evidence during his investigation that implicates the Vatican in Father Vivaldi’s murder, he gives it to the investigating magistrate, Elena Fiorini, and they join forces to find the killers.

There was a lot to like about this book. The involvement of the Vatican takes us back to World War 2, Mussolini and the the black shirts, and the Ustashi in Yugoslavia. I knew nothing about the Ustashi’s concentration camp in Jasenovac, where tens of thousands of Orthodox Serbs, Jews and Gypsies were tortured and killed. Many of the leaders in the campaign of genocide were apparently Catholic priests and Franciscan friars. A dark history indeed.

As Andy and Elena draw closer to the truth, they find themselves up against people who will stop at nothing to stop them from revealing that truth.

I found the Italian setting intriguing, as their judicial system is so different to the English/Australian/American systems, all of which I am more familiar with.

The ubiquitous romance between Andy and Elena is predictable, and fidelity in relationships seems to be considered totally unnecessary. (Is the author trying to suggest that Italians do not value fidelity?) The two main characters didn’t particularly appeal to me, so although I found the book enjoyable enough, it didn’t rock my boat, so to speak! The ending, as is so often the case, feels rushed. However, I can see this book making a great film, with the settings in Rome, the Vatican, and the Italian countryside.

[Ian O'Donnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Utterly enthralling from go to whoa. Plenty of intrigue mixed with some historical background and some Vatican skulldugery. I bought this book some years ago and kept overlooking it but that was a big mistake.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining, if not quite plausible, story of, well, murder, intrigue, and some history thrown in for seasoning. I think I’ll check out his other books.

[Jacqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

6. Quite good. Priest murdered. Elena Lawyer Chapman journalist. Rome

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

UNHOLY TRINITY (Political Thriller-Rome-1945/Cont) – G
Adam, Paul – 4th book
Little, Brown and Company, 1999 – UK Hardcover
Andy Chapman is a Rome correspondent for a London newspaper. While investigating the brutal murder of a priest, along with his friend Italian correspondent Enzo Mattei, the evidence seems to implicate the Vatican and a link back to Mussolini’s Black Shirts during WWII. He turns the evidence over to magistrate Elena Fiorini and together they work to find the priests killer, uncover secrets hidden in the Vatican, who is behind the rise of the new Fascists in Italy and the link to Elena’s own family.
*** Adam has given us a tense, exciting thriller. It’s fast paced but also interesting as I learned things about WWII, events in Ustashe, Yugoslavia and Ante Pavelic, leader of the Croatian Fascist movement I had not known. The history doesn’t bog down the action of the story. The relationship between Andy and Elena adds to the dimension. I did feel the ending was very abrupt and left a lot of loose threads, hence my lower rating. But it was still and enjoyable read and would make a great airplane book.

[Zézinha Rosado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tenho opiniões controversas sobre este livro, daí a razão de o avaliar apenas com 3 estrelas.
Poderia ser um bom thriller se não tivesse algumas partes de longa descrição, o que o tornam um pouco maçador... confesso que por duas ou três vezes me senti tentada a colocá-lo de lado.
Mas ainda bem que não o fiz porque a partir de certa altura o livro torna-se interessante. Há personagens a mais, algumas tornam-se mesmo desnecessárias para o desenrolar da história, mas este é daqueles livros que "bem espremidos" tem muito "sumo" para dar.
É interessante a abordagem que o autor faz em torno do Vaticano e do poder que este pequeno estado tem.

[Rachelle Seymore · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is clearly a master story teller. I don't often read fiction (although I write it) but truly enjoyed this book. Paul Adam moves between the mid 1940's with a focus on the neo-Facists and Mussolini's fall from power and the present day, bringing in the Vatican. It is a thriller, but he successfully brings in the necessary romance. A lovely and enjoyable read.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly similar to Flash Point except with more sex and less likeable characters. Andy was a bit of a prick and Elena - for all her attempts to seem strong and independent - comes off as quite needy and whiny.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read with a few twists and turns in the plot. I found the Italian names a little tricky to keep up with at first but this was probably down to my lack of concentration through illness.

I'd be interested now to read into the facts surrounding the plot line of this story.

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book it was well written and it kept me wanting to read more

[Fiona · Rating 2 out of 5]

5/10

[Stacy Elenbaas · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, but not as good as Dan Brown.

[Indu · Rating 4 out of 5]

An "absolute page-turner" would just be the right way to describe it. :)