The Last Conclave

By: Glenn Cooper

Narrated by: Simon Alison

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.

And 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.

©2025 Lascaux Media (P)2025 Lascaux Media

So so story, amazing narrator

The story is kind of an Angels and Demons knock off, but like a lot of the Dan Brown stories it introduced some historical info that sent.me to Wilipedia to find out more. The narrator was top notch. I had to remind myself that it was only one person playing all the parts.

Another solid Cooper tile

I’ve been a fan for years and this still holds up. Narrator was great, had a couple of really strong and mostly not stereotypical female characters (glad he’s working on that). Great premise and quick read.

This story bothered me and I'm not a Catholic.

Silly me I thought when I purchased this book I would be reading about the Conclave and what happened during the picking of a new Pope. Instead, what I got was a story about kidnapping the cardinals and trying to force them to get a female Pope voted in. I guess they want a more "progressive" Catholic church and it seemed like they wanted to change a lot of the ways things were done. The use of the "F" bomb bothered me and I was a Security person on a high school campus for 20 years and had heard that word used in more ways than you could possibly think of. I normally do not write negative reviews. I return the book, get my credit back and get another book on my wish list. Audible ticked me off this time so here I am writing this review.

I normally like Glenn Cooper's books. Not this time. Just because the book wasn't for me doesn't mean someone else won't think it's the absolute best and that's why I didn't want to write a review. I am a former Catholic and pretty much know how political they are when it comes to nominating Bishops, and Cardinals and such. The Vatican has a lot in common with almost any country when it comes to political stuff. Lot of games and deals going back and forth. I'm pretty sure it's the same way with the Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses when it comes to who is in charge of what.

Won't stop me from reading or listening to another book by Mr. Cooper. This one wasn't for me.