A vanished conclave. An empty Sistine Chapel. And a secret buried for eight centuries. From internationally bestselling author Glenn Cooper comes a gripping Vatican conspiracy thriller that has already topped the charts in Italy. When Pope John XXIV is found dead in his bed just two years after his election, the world braces for a new conclave. But as the cardinal electors are sealed inside the Sistine Chapel, something unthinkable happens. Hours pass. No smoke rises. No vote is announced. When Vatican Secretary of State Elisabetta Celestino breaks protocol to open the doors-she finds the chapel empty. The cardinals have vanished without a trace. CNN religion expert Cal Donovan is on-site to cover the conclave, but soon finds himself swept into a global investigation. As panic spreads and theories abound, Cal uncovers a chilling trail leading back to a centuries-old order-one that has waited in the shadows to cleanse the sins of the Church... with blood. Ancient secrets. Ruthless power. And a final reckoning that will shake the foundations of faith.