by Ian O'Connor
First published 2015
Justin Scott thought his FBI days were behind him. Then assassins target him on his way to Rome, where the Vatican's secretary of state has summoned him for a secret mission. The story jumps to 1940 London, where British Intelligence scrambles to stop a Nazi invasion of England. A papal messenger delivers a sealed letter to Hitler from a source that commands absolute obedience. The letter vanishes when Berlin falls in 1945. Seventy years later, it resurfaces in the Vatican archives. The mysterious document claims the Dies Irae, the Day of Wrath, has arrived. The pope needs Justin to verify or debunk both the letter and its supposed divine author. As the Doomsday Clock ticks toward midnight, Justin faces an almost impossible authentication task that could determine humanity's fate.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, action, alternate-history
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, race-against-time
Setting: Rome, Vatican, Berlin, England
Period: 1940, 1945, 2010s
289 pages · Paperback · Pegasus Publishing & Entertainment Group