Rating: 
Summary: Riveting real life murder mystery
Review: This a true story investigating the death of Pope John Paul 1 who died, amidst a maze of contradictory reports about time and circumstances of death a mere 33 days after becoming pope. This is one of the most compelling mysteries I have ever read. I simply couldn't put it down. Along the way you receive a glimpse into the, to me, mysterious and unknown world of papal politics and diplomacy. How fortunate, that someone who can write so clearly and invitingly obtained access to the papal archives. For anyone with an interest in history, mystery, or the papacy, I cannot recommend this more strongly.
Rating: 
Summary: Great account-- reads like a mystery.
Review: This is an enjoyable read on several levels. Cornwell really gives the reader a great inside look at the Vatican and the politics involved. The amount of backstabbing and shady dealing that goes on behind the scenes is incredible. The cast of characters is very interesting and Cornwell does not spare individuals when they deserve to be criticized (and this turns out to be just about everybody!). John Paul I was a good human being who was used, abused, and ignored by members of the Vatican heirarchy. It is in many respects a very sad story since we are left with the impression that a humble and sensitive man such as JP I cannot make it as pope with the current environment at the Vatican.
Rating: 
Summary: Not much of a revelation
Review: When Pope John Paul I died suddenly after only 33 days into his Papacy, conspiracy theories and rumors of murder erupted because of inconsistencies in the Vatican's statements. Officially, the Pope died of a heart attack, but there were conflicting stories as to who found the body, what time the body was found, what time the Pope died, which spawned further questions outside the Vatican about things like why there was no autopsy, why the embalming began so soon, etc. And as time went on, the murder-conspiracy theories got really out of hand. John Cornwell, who also wrote Hitler's Pope, investigates these allegations as an independent journalist, ten years after the fact. He interviews all the major Vatican players, gains access to the current Pope, and learns very little new information. Except that there is all sorts of confusion about aspects of that night which seems to be inherent to the way the Vatican is run, not specifically to why this pope died. Cornwell ultimately comes up with his own theory of what happened that night. Each chapter is pretty much a transcript of one of Cornwell's interviews. It goes something like this: I arrived here, had to get through red tape, finally got permission to talk to so and so, and this is what they said to me: transcript. I found it pretty uninspiring. If there is any interest to be found here at all, it's the glimpse you get into the Vatican. One of the advantages of having so much of the book be in other people's words, is the immediate access the reader has into the personalities that make up the Vatican. There is so much gossip going on it and so much back-stabbing, at times it feels like a soap opera. As far as Cornwell's investigation goes, it's pretty wimpy. Yeah, he talks to a bunch of people, and he does find out some interesting tidbits that clear up a few minor points up, but all in all, there was very little here to warrant a book. He should have written a magazine article and been done with it.
| 
