General MacKenzie Hawkins, a rebellious military veteran with a history of career-ending antics, orchestrates a plot to kidnap Pope Francesco I. He recruits Sam Devereaux, a reluctant lawyer, to handle the logistical and legal fallout of the heist. The central scheme involves snatching the pontiff from the Vatican and demanding a ransom of one dollar from every Catholic on Earth. This satirical narrative follows the duo as they navigate international borders, evade intelligence agencies, and manage the logistical nightmare of holding the world’s most famous religious leader hostage.
Readers who enjoy irreverent farce and unconventional military procedurals gravitate toward this story. It appeals to those looking for a departure from high-stakes geopolitical tension in favor of slapstick and absurdity. The reader finishes the book with a perspective on how bureaucratic chaos and individual ego can disrupt global institutions. It provides an example of how genre tropes can be inverted to create humor rather than suspense, focusing on the mechanical difficulties of an impossible crime.
Practical, outward-looking, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1992
- Publisher
- Bantam
- ISBN
- 9780553271096
- Language
- EN
