Papa Aħmed

“Annuntio vobis gaudium mag

num: Habemus Papam!” This is how the must-read thriller of this summer kicks off, with a

fumata bianca – white smoke emerging from the chimney on top of the Sistine chapel.

The man in white robes steps out on the balcony and waves. The crowd erupts into cheers welcoming the new Pope: Massimo Falzon. The new leader of the Catholic world is Maltese and he has chosen to take the pontifical - and controversial - name of Pope Aħmed.

What follows is a series of nail biting events. A papal visit to the Holy Land, ends up with the Pope dodging his security detail for some peace and quiet in the garden of Gethsemane. By the time his absence is noticed, it is already too late. A passer-by had recognised the meditating figure in the garden, and quickly surmises that kidnapping the Pope would fit perfectly with his terrorist plans.

The next thing we know is that the Maltese Pope has vanished from the face of the earth and the Mossad, the CIA and Palestinian Secret Services have all stormed the foot of the Mount of Olives and beyond. They tooth-comb the whole of Jerusalem trying to find the lost Pope, but the world seems to be destined to witness one of the most horrific atrocities ever.

The narrator of the tale is Thomas, a childhood friend of the Pope. The two have stayed in touch and Thomas ends up being the sole confidante of Pope Aħmed, helping him to unearth longburied secrets.

Papa Aħmed, written by Joe Pace, is a novel of intrigue and mystery. The author knows how to knead scenes of spiritual sensibilities with scenes of thrilling actions, chases and hounding which leave the reader breathless. The idea for a Maltese Pope came by as a result of the author’s concern that as an island we are too insular. “We Maltese tend to believe we’re the greatest nation ever created … that we’re more Catholic than the Pope. So then I thought, hang on: what if there was a Maltese Pope? Would it make us finally start to think beyond our insularity? The rest, as they say, is in the book,” said Pace.

Amid the plot tension, the reader also comes to terms with the fact that underneath the white robes of the spiritual head of more than a billion Catholics, lies a human being. Papa Aħmed is not only an exercise in suspense but also an insight into the humanity of the formal figure of the Roman Catholic church.

Veteran author Trevor Zahra lauded the book as “truly original”. “It’s a powerful story that makes you leaf over the pages in urgency. Definitely a must read,” Zahra said.

An extract of the book is available for free online on merlinpublishers.com

Papa Aħmed is available for sale from all leading bookshops or directly online, with free postage and packaging from merlinpublishers.com