The Vatican's Vault

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Pub Date 19 Feb 2019 | Archive Date 18 Feb 2019
Sunbury Press, Inc. | Milford House Press

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Description

Conspiracy, intrigue, deceit, and murder in the holiest of sanctuaries result from man's ultimate fall – thou shall not covet.

THE VATICAN’S VAULT is based on religious and historical events that portray the fierce enmity within the Catholic Church emanating from the challenge of modernity versus tradition.  The novel traces an early nineteenth-century secret Italian document, The Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita, that maps out a generational blueprint to overthrow the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. The story takes place during the final phase of this conspiracy at a time when the Church is most vulnerable following the deadly sins of child molestation, the redefining of family and marriage, and the attempt to overthrow theological rigidity and conservatism. New York Medical Examiner and detective, Dr. Jeffrey Moss, fresh from solving The Mystery of the Milton Manuscript (Urim, 2014), leads the investigation of a young priest murdered at 452 Madison Avenue, the official residence of the Archbishop of New York. At autopsy, the examination reveals three gold pieces ingeniously hidden, two, of which, were designed for Pope Clement VII by Benvenuto Cellini, the great Italian Renaissance artist, and the third, a diadem originating from the earliest days of the Israelites in Egypt. Together with the brilliant archeologist, Daniella Teller, the duo delve into ancient biblical texts, Jewish and Christian history, the deepest secrets of the Masonic Brotherhood, and the internal strife within today’s Vatican to pursue the murderer. The plot turns to terror, including the attempted murder of the Pope himself, as Jeff and Daniella probe the secrets of The Vatican’s Vault that uncovers a conspiracy to destroy the Church and its Papacy.

Conspiracy, intrigue, deceit, and murder in the holiest of sanctuaries result from man's ultimate fall – thou shall not covet.

THE VATICAN’S VAULT is based on religious and historical events that...


Advance Praise

In his second novel, The Vatican's Vault, Dr. Barry Libin offers a thriller that has something to say, though that never gets in the way of a unique and original story which combines elements of the police procedural with high adventure. A mysterious fire that involves Saint Patrick’s Cathedral interlocks with a search for a lost treasure in the title place, a hidden spot rarely visited by others than the Pope's chosen few. Opera, Catholicism and Judaic thought are combined in a totally original way, as the author reveals his sophisticated understanding of each in addition to his natural gifts at storytelling. Highly recommended. --Douglas Brode, The Planet Jesus Trilogy

The Vatican’s Vault has a fascinating storyline that covers 3500 years of history. A well-written thriller. It touches a deep fear in people's minds - the fear of the Catholic Church and it's old and mysterious orders. And it refers to our curiosity about old treasures. The Vatican’s Vault joins a big family of bestselling books and movies - from Godfather to Indiana Jones and Da Vinci Code. --Nahum Barnea, Chief Columnist for Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's largest daily; Winner of the State of Israel Prize for communication.

“A riveting mystery that I wish were twice as long.” --Nicholas Gura author of Divine Wisdom and Warning: Decoded Messages From God

In his second novel, The Vatican's Vault, Dr. Barry Libin offers a thriller that has something to say, though that never gets in the way of a unique and original story which combines elements of the...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781620061633
PRICE US$19.95 (USD)

Average rating from 8 members


Featured Reviews

A well-written historical novel with fully-formed characters and an engaging plot. The author obviously put effort into achieving historical accuracy, which added to the effectiveness of the plot. If you like historical fiction, this one is solid and has all the elements you're likely to appreciate. Recommended.

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This is the story of Jeff Moss, an MD turned Medical Examiner turned detective who teams up with Daniella ("Danny") Teller in the search for the meaning of three coins that turn up in the middle ages style murder of a priest in NYC. The coins obviously provides some clues that are not immediately obvious, and the pair are taken from the US to Europe in search of more clues and information in uncovering their meaning and relevance today when they appear to have come from the middle ages. In the process, we learn alot about early church history and the role of the Freemasons.

Any fan of historical fiction, especially church history like me, has to read the book. It is very well researched and makes the story line all that more believable. I found it thoroughly engaging and had to stay up late last night just to finish it off as I couldn't wait any longer.

There were some typographical errors in the text such as "afgter" and words run together, but that could have been the result of pdf to Kindle conversion. I'd suggest the publisher/editor take one last look for typos before publication.

I hope the book is a success and we read more from Libin. What makes historical fiction is the depth of the research and it really shows in this volume. I enjoyed the read immensely, it was a great storyline, but I also learned something about the church in the middle ages, which is something that has always interested me, so it was a double win. Libin is an author to watch.

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Just finished reading the Vatican’s Vault and what a read; One man’s look to move Catholicism forward, another man’s engineered manipulation to hold it back, at any cost. Modernism vs traditionalism.
Murder, relics , a hunt for answers, religious history, and romanticism all wrapped up into a Dan Brown esque/police investigative style story, with the acknowledgment of the Catholic Church updating to match the requirements of a current and changing society.

Was excited to start reading this book and it certainly throws you straight into the action, unravelling over a 17 day period identified by dates and timings. Filling you with a mix of emotions as different things play out in the story. Thought into descriptive sentences of scenery and characters added a different dimension, lightening the mood against the core story sometimes. Cleverly written.

One to read if you enjoy themes of crime investigation come religious history and uncovering, conspiracy, and relic hunting.

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4 stars

This book is a very well written and exciting ride into conspiracy, lies and outright deceit. We have a scheming Cardinal, a Pope who wants to move the Catholic Church into the modern era and a doctor/forensic examiner/police officer who teams up with an archaeologist to discover the meaning of some mysterious coins.

A young priest is tortured and murdered in a horrible fashion at the home of the Archbishop of New York's residence. The medical examiner find things hidden in his clothes. Most notably are three solid gold coins that were hidden in a hollow hole in the priest's shoes.

Dr. Jeffrey Moss and Dr. Daniella Teller team up to learn the origin of the coins and this takes them around the globe and eventually to Rome – to the Vatican.

This is a somewhat historical mystery based on events that occurred many years earlier. We get to search the Vatican Archives along with the protagonists and meet an enigmatic and charming and disarming Pope.

This is a very well written and plotted novel. I liked the main characters (for the most part), and enjoyed the interaction between them. Moss and Teller are very smart and very tenacious in their search. It is an action/thriller page turner that will hold the reader fast to their seat. I very much look forward to more from Mr. Libin. He has great potential.

I want to thank NetGalley and Sunbury Press, Inc./Milford House Press for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review.

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