Conclave is a two-thousand-year-old mix of rituals and traditions. Even though we know quite well what the process looks like, there are still some mysteries. That's why it captures people's imagination.
This book is a thriller that revolves around an idea that terrorists kidnap the cardinals and... want them to make a particular choice, which is not a choice anymore, but that doesn't matter. For a moment, I thought that this book would be calling for the Church to stand up against the Islamists who keep slaughtering Christians across the globe (Nigeria, Congo, Sudan, Egypt, Germany, Syria, Nagorno-Karabakh, Kazakhstan...). But no, the author chose an easy, safe, however ridiculous path. That's to say, if you decide to take it seriously. If not, then this is a cynical laugh at modern feminism, and a great one.
Either way, it's an easy and fast read.
One more thing: who heard of Cathars? Like ever? Me neither. Always happy to learn something new.

This was very topical and gave me Dan Brown vibes a little whilst reading it but that is not a bad thing. It kept me fully entertained for an afternoon..

After reading this I went on a complete rabbit hole of investigating the main theme, it was so interesting and I learnt a lot especially in the context of tourism. Very fascinating.

Courtesy of The Book Whisperer and Netgalley, I received the ARC of The Last Conclave by Glenn Copper. This suspenseful mystery/thriller proved to be very timely, dealing with the conclave to choose a new Pope. As the conspiracy emerged and the tempo increased, I found myself unable to stop reading! The well researched history of the Cathar religious movement during the Crusades proved very interesting, along with the thought provoking role of women in the Catholic Church. I highly recommend this novel, my first book to read by Glenn Cooper but not my last!

This was a timely story as one pope died and a conclave was convened. In the book a pope has died after a short new years as a pope. Who will take his place? When the smoke doesn't appear in a reason amount of time, the chapel is unlocked to find the men are missing. The story is about the search to find them. And to find who is behind the kidnapping of all those men. The story is interesting and I stayed up way to late reading this one. Well worth reading.

Great timing for the release of this novel what with an actual conclave having just concluded albeit without much fanfare and in quick time.
I have been a fan of Glenn's books having recently read the Cosmos Key.
This story starts off with a tragedy with the Pope's passing and the process to elect the new Pope. The mystery erupts during the conclave and with characters one would root for backed with a fast paced story, the novel forges ahead as a thriller. With disappearance of the cardinals the mystery deepens and ancient forces bring their influence over the program.
Cal Donovan is a Robert Langdon wannabe is at the heart of the book and Glenn brings his skills in weaving ancient societies, history and conspiracy while keeping a taut control over the reins of the story. The history and the back and forth sometimes obfuscates the casual reader while the topic of discussion about the origins of Catharism makes this a serious novel. I loved the delves into history and learned some fine details.
The process of the story tips a hat to Langdon's adventures while very books detail the papal process as exquisitely as it is done here.
I would have been happy with a trigger happy editor to trim the size of the book and edit some of the more detailed part which while making the book lighter would allow it to be in the TBR's of a wider variety of readers. The book ends well and with a satisfactory conclusion.
Recommended.

The Pope is dead, and the conclave begins. Everyone is waiting for the smoke from the first vote, but after 4+ hours, still no smoke. The Vatican Secretary (Eli, a nun) and others decide they need to go into the Sistine Chapel to investigate if something is wrong. The Sistine Chapel is empty - all 100+ Cardinals are gone.
Thus ensues a suspenseful story of the kidnapping of the Cardinals, the race to find them, and the historical significance that lead to the kidnapping.
This was particularly interesting after the world just watched the election of a new Pope!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Good story but i found the pacing a bit off. Some parts were very exciting and others dragged a bit. Overall, I enjoyed the story.

This is my first book by Glen Cooper and I went to peruse his other books to see what I'll read next!
1st, the cover to the Last Conclave is eye catching and with the current death and election of a new pope, it peaked my interest.
This intriguing suspense novel opens with the unexpected death of the current pope and as the new conclave gather together to elect a new pope, the cardinals vanish. The multifaceted suspense builds as they try to locate them and the 1st ever, female Vatican Secretary of State Elisabetta Celestino is left to not only deal with this but other political pressures from within the Vatican.
The detailed historical facts are well written and provide very interesting insights into the Catholic Churches past and present, weaving in other religious factions leading to the current situation.
Other main characters are Cal Donovan who is a religious professor and who helps with the investigation with historical context and has a romantic interest within the story, Emilio, Elisabett's brother is head of the Vatican police and deeply involved in the investigation.
There is some violence, and references to child abuse some historical and some present, none overly graphic with language clean and contained.
On occasion the storyline would jump between the past and present tense a bit too quickly, some characters needed some deeper development and the ending was tied up to quickly for me and why it is a strong 4 stars and not 5. Having written that, I was still highly engaged and entertained and learned a lot about the history of the early religions.
If you enjoy historical novels with engaging suspense, a unique storyline, political intrigue, betrayal, enjoy Dan Brown books, I highly recommend this well done conspiracy thriller
A big thank you to Net Galley and The Book Whisperer publisher for the ARC it was a pleasure to read. All opinions expressed are my own.

Reading this Vatican chronicle held great interest for me and it certainly spiked my adrenaline. Glenn Cooper, the author, knows how to tell a tale! How could a conclave of over 100 Cardinals, sealed tightly into the Sistine Chapel, simply vanish! What a mystery! Oh, and, what does a religious affliation of centuries past, considered 'extinct', have to do with it all?!

As this is a work of historical fiction, I really appreciated learning about the Cathars, what they believed and what happened to them because those beliefs starkly conflicted with the more dominant, at the time, Roman Catholic church.

I enjoyed 'meeting' Elisabetta, Emilio, Cal Dononvan and even Geralda. They were surely 'put to the test'. I liked their strength and bravery under duress. In my opinion, those potential readers who find themselves in exceedingly stressful situations may well be able to relate to these particular protagonists best.

~ Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger ~

May 2025

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

What impeccable timing to have a novel for a new conclave to be released… there were some odd similarities to world events today.

Reads like a lesser Da Vinci Code with less mystery. But the Cathar story made me roll my eyes. I don’t get it. Their beliefs the whole ideology. It’s comical to me, but then again as an agnostic most religion themes are.

Where it lost me was the crap ending that wrapped in 2.5 seconds after a major buildup.

I had to flip back to see if I missed something.
I hope the released finished version has more of a denouement and is not so rushed.

Could also be I did not realize there was a Cal Donovan series?! But still the whole thing felt like a rip off of Robert Langdon. Iykyk.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

3.5 ⭐️

Another great book in this series. I like the historical explanation without being too much. The characters are great and plot holds your attention. This is a page turner.

My thanks to Net Galley and Book Whisperer for this arc.

When I requested this book I thought it was the book that the movie was based on. It is not but still EXCELLENT!!
What does the Vatican do when the Pope dies, over 100 members of the Conclave are kidnapped, and later it is discovered the Pope's death was suspicious. That is the whole premise of this book. Finding the cardinals and discovering the kidnappers mission
Excellent book, excellent read, Great characters! Only thing I thought the pause with the history of the Cathars was distracting

This was a totally enjoyable read. Coming as close as it has on the tail of the real conclave, this one really held my attention with its descriptions.

What auspicious timing for the publication of this book! Anyone who has American Pope Fever has to pick up The Last Conclave. Those who also miss Robert Langdon will enjoy this history filled page turner.

The Last Conclave by Glenn Cooper is a historical mystery/thriller. Pope John XXIV is found dead in his bed two years after he was elected Pope. The Cardinals are called to the conclave to elect a new Pope. They are sealed into the Sistine Chapel on the first day for the first vote. After several hours, those waiting for the smoke announcement become concerned. They break into the Chapel to find all of the Cardinals gone. No one had exited from any of the locked doors. Thus begins the search to find out what has happened and where they are.

Pope John had appointed Sister Elisabetta Celestino as his Secretary of State so she is now in charge of the Vatican until the Cardinals return. Her brother is the head of Vatican police. He, along with his people, discover they had been taken through a tunnel dug from a villa outside the perimeter of the grounds. Now begins the search, along with Italian police, government officials and France’s police when they determine they may be in France. A close friend of the Celestino family, Cal Donovan is on site to cover the conclave. When it is discovered that this has to do with an ancient religion the Cathers, he is swept into the investigation as he is a religious history professor from Harvard.

The book is well written and fast paced. It does spend a good amount of time explaining the history involved with the Cather religion which had been wiped out hundreds of years before. I did find this part a bit dragged out and do not feel it added that much to the story.

I would like to thank Net Galley and The Book Whisperer for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

A Gripping Vatican conspiracy

After the death of Pope John XXIV, the world braces for a new conclave but once the cardinals are sealed inside the Sistine Chapel, something inconceivable happens…..The Cardinals have vanished without a trace.

A vanished conclave, an empty Sistine Chapel and a secret buried for eight centuries.

What a thrilling read from the opening page till the very last, it was definitely a hard story to put aside. This mystery is of kidnapping and Catharism, a movement that thrived in Southern Europe in the 12th to the 14th centuries and was denounced as heretical leading to violent suppressions, Crusade and inquisitions by the Catholic Church. Mr. Cooper talks a lot about this in his book, quite interesting and informative.

The plot couldn’t be any faster and very suspenseful when CNN religious expert Carl Donovan on site to cover the conclave finds himself dragged into a global investigation and more so, when he uncovers the trail leading back to a centuries-old order…..one waiting in the shadows to strike…..As a result, the ancient secrets could and will shake the foundations of faith…The blend of the lost world of the Cathars with the present day crisis in the Catholic Church was seamless done and perfectly woven.

This story has taking me on a colourful journey to the most holy of place and has opened my eyes on part of history I had no knowledge of.

This religious thriller is worth every page…

Nicely said and nicely-done

When the pope dies suddenly and new one needs to be chosen. All the cardinals that are eligible have been locked behind the c!owed doors of the Sistine chapel. As everyone waits for the smoke to appear but nothing happens. And as the hours pass they know something is wrong. But when the doors are forced open there is no one inside. Where have all the cardinals disappeared to?
Now that they know that they have been taken they need help to get them back unharmed. Who can they turn to in their hour of need?Will the first female secretary of state be up to the task of getting them back?
A good solid read. Glenn Copper takes us on a colourful journey from the most holy of places to France and back. Good characters they each add to the thrilling read.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the copy. This is my voluntary review.

I just finished a great book. The Last Conclave by Glenn Cooper is available now. Pick it up! You won’t regret it.

3.75/5

Picked up this book due to current events of course. I love a good mystery as well, so this is a great mix. I've also read one of Glenn Cooper's book in high school (The Tenth Chamber) so I was at least familiar with his work.
As expected, it's very engaging and the suspense kept you at the edge of your seat so to speak. It kind of reminded me a little of Dan Brown, but that might just be the religious setting. While I wish there was more time to explore individual characters, I did enjoy the fast pace. Will definitely be picking up more books by Glenn Cooper.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review Glenn Cooper's "The Last Conclave". I thought, what with recent events, this might be an interesting read.
When Pope John XXIV suddenly dies, only two years after being elected, the Vatican is once again in the throes of Conclave: all of the eligible papabile must assemble in order to elect a successor. The world outside is waiting with bated breaths as the Cardinals are sequestered along with their doctor; some result is expected on the first day, not necessarily a new pope, but at least a sign. And when that sign never comes, the decision is made to breach. And they find an empty room. The Cardinals are gone.
Thus begins a race to find out a) how this could have possibly happened, b) where have they gone, c) who took them and d) what do they want?
Embroiled in the drama are the first female Secretary of State Elisabetta Celestino, her Police Chief brother Emlio, and a family friend and religious expert, Cal Donovan, who was onsite with CNN to cover the conclave.
There's a lot of history involved in the plot, and the author does go back in history to explore the roots of the conspiracy.
I wanted to love this book, but I really only liked it. The premise was good, but it occasionally got bogged down with repetitions and journeys into the past.