{"product_id":"the-vicarious-one-murder-one-priest-one-forbidden-truth","title":"THE VICARIOUS: One Murder. One Priest. One Forbidden Truth.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Vicarious: One Murder. One Priest. One Forbidden Truth\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e follows Father Anthony DeLuca, a Brooklyn parish priest with the instincts of a detective and the soul of a theologian. Once destined for the NYPD, Anthony answered a sudden, mysterious call to the priesthood — but the investigative mind never left him. When the Vatican quietly summons him to Rome, he believes he is being asked to preserve history. Instead, history begins hunting him.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe prologue sets the tone: Anthony walks alone through Vatican City after solving a case the world believes is closed. But a chilling phone call warns him that the next truth he pursues “will be written in blood.” As you write, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003e“Truth does not die in darkness — it waits for the one who dares to follow it.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoon after arriving in Rome, Anthony is drawn into the death of Bishop Matteo Bellori in Venice — a death ruled natural, but surrounded by impossible details. The bishop was found kneeling as if in prayer, a Vatican manuscript beside him, and one page surgically removed. Monsignor Ricci notices the bishop’s rosary in the wrong hand, and the manuscript bearing the seal of the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eArchivum Apostolicum Vaticanum\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — a document that should never have left Rome.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCardinal Alessandro Vittori reveals the Vatican’s fear: a hidden fraternity, a centuries‑old secret society operating inside the Church. An envelope found among the bishop’s belongings bears an ancient symbol — a cross inside a circle — and was blank until Anthony’s name mysteriously appeared on it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSent unofficially to investigate, Anthony travels to Venice, where he meets Captain Giovanna Matteotti of the Carabinieri. Their partnership is immediate, intuitive — and dangerous. Together they discover evidence tampered with after the bishop’s death, a missing object removed from the chapel wall, and a pattern of clues pointing to a conspiracy older than any of them.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBut Anthony faces a second battle: the turmoil within his own heart. His growing connection with Giovanna forces him into a crisis of vocation, culminating in a raw confession: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003e“I fear I have begun to love someone.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs the investigation deepens, Anthony realizes he is not simply uncovering a murder — he is stepping into a war between truth and power, fought in shadows beneath Rome, Venice, and the Vatican itself. Some conspiracies die. The oldest ones simply wait.\u003cbr\u003eA murdered bishop. A missing manuscript. A priest with a detective’s mind. When Father Anthony DeLuca is summoned to Rome, he uncovers a secret society hidden within the Church — and a conspiracy willing to kill to stay buried. Joined by a brilliant Italian investigator, Anthony must confront forbidden truths, ancient symbols, and a crisis of faith that threatens everything he is. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Vicarious\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a gripping Vatican thriller where every revelation comes with a price… and every truth demands a sacrifice.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48710156255464,"sku":null,"price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0800\/5592\/7016\/files\/thevicarious.jpg?v=1783391552","url":"https:\/\/readmiltonrothbard.com\/products\/the-vicarious-one-murder-one-priest-one-forbidden-truth","provider":"Read Milton Rothbard","version":"1.0","type":"link"}