Dear Mr. McAvoy,
I recently finished The Pompeian Betrayal and wanted to share a few thoughts with you.
When I first began reading your books, I assumed that someone who wrote so extensively and knowledgeably about the Vatican must have a strong religious background. I was therefore surprised to discover that you are agnostic. That struck a chord with me. I was raised Protestant and went to Sunday school when I was young, but as the years passed, my own experiences led me away from religious belief. I have great respect for those who find meaning and comfort in faith, but it has never played that role in my own life.
Perhaps that is one reason I have been so surprised by how interested I have become in the history of the Vatican through your novels. It is a world I never expected to find particularly compelling, yet I now find myself wanting to know more about it. Just as importantly, Father Michael Dominic and the people around him have become familiar companions. Following their lives from book to book is now part of the pleasure of reading the series.
The Pompeian Betrayal gave me plenty to think about. Beneath the suspense and intrigue are some genuinely philosophical questions about human nature, power, morality, and the choices people make when their principles are tested. I particularly enjoyed the fact that these larger ideas were incorporated into the story without allowing them to overwhelm the plot.
I was also pleased that, despite the scars left by everything the characters endure, good ultimately prevails. I think there is something valuable in that. A good thriller can take us into some very dark places, but I still want to finish a story with a sense that courage, decency, and hope matter.
One theme that stayed with me afterward was the danger of condemning an entire institution because of the actions of individuals within it. Whether we are talking about a church, a bank, a government, or any other powerful organization, institutions are ultimately made up of people. Some use their positions honorably; others abuse them. There is an old observation that if you really want to discover someone’s character, give that person power. The Pompeian Betrayal illustrates that idea particularly well.
Another pleasure was seeing the continuing development of Michael, Hana, and the other recurring characters. After spending several books with them, their personal journeys have become nearly as important to me as the historical mysteries themselves.
One thing does puzzle me: I see many readers awarding the book high star ratings without actually writing anything about why they enjoyed it. That’s unfortunate, because I find it interesting to hear what other readers noticed in a story and whether they came away thinking about the same things I did.
Once again, you have managed to combine history, intrigue, ideas, and suspense into a story that entertained me while also giving me something to consider after I finished the final page.
I am very much looking forward to the next German edition in the series. The Pompeian Betrayal certainly earns five stars from me.
Thank you for such a thoughtful message—and especially for taking the time to write such a detailed review of The Pompeian Betrayal. You are absolutely right that written reviews mean a great deal, both to authors and to prospective readers. A row of five stars is wonderful to see, of course, but a reader explaining why a book affected him is far more meaningful.
I was particularly interested in your comments about faith. Although I am agnostic, I have always been deeply fascinated by religion—its history, its influence on civilization, and perhaps most of all, the people who sincerely believe. I think that distance actually helps me write Michael Dominic. I don’t need to share his faith in order to respect it or to understand why it is fundamental to the person he is.
Your observation about institutions also gets to the heart of something I try to explore in these books. The Vatican, a bank, a government, or any other institution is ultimately made up of human beings, and human beings are capable of both remarkable goodness and terrible abuses of power. Your quotation—“If you want to really get to know a person, give them power”—could almost serve as an epigraph for several of my novels!
It also gives me enormous pleasure to hear you describe Michael and the others as being almost like old friends. After spending so many years with these characters myself, knowing that readers have become invested not only in the mysteries but also in their lives and relationships is particularly gratifying.
And I agree with you about hope. My novels may take the characters into some very dark places, and they don’t always emerge without scars, but I don’t have much interest in leaving readers with the message that darkness inevitably wins. There is quite enough of that in the real world.
Thank you again for reading so attentively and for sharing your thoughts with me. I hope the next German edition will prove worthy of another five stars!
With my very best wishes,
Gary
