cover image Citizen Spy – Vatican Cover-Ups: The Mob, Money-Laundering and Murder

Citizen Spy – Vatican Cover-Ups: The Mob, Money-Laundering and Murder

Robert Morgan, TitleTown (Midpoint, dist), $17.95 paper (176p) ISBN 9780982720608

Morgan's discovery of drug-dealing in his daughter's school sends him on a vigilante quest for justice that takes him far beyond backwoods drug dealers. Soon he's chasing down drug runners, going undercover, and infiltrating the mafia, all without the support of law enforcement. When Morgan eventually brings his knowledge to the authorities, he becomes part of an ongoing investigation that culminates in the secondhand confession that gives the title its third M: the mob had Pope John Paul I murdered. The problem with all this is that Morgan provides little evidence beyond his own pulpy accounts, presented often in dialogue seemingly borrowed from The Sopranos. With the investigation closed, and no proof of murder provided, Morgan's undercover efforts seem to have produced nothing. But it's the over-dramatic, overly familiar style that sinks his account. Readers will be surprised that they aren't able to connect to such an exciting subject. (July)