This is the first review in menreadingbooks.blogspot.com for Michael Balter who has written a dynamite book. The Vatican Deal is subtitled A Marty and Bo Thriller. The main characters are Marty Schott and Bo Bishop who are business partners. They’ve been buying businesses, but despite a solid plan, they were languishing until they took in a new partner, Natalya Danilenko, a Russian who is being back with seemingly unlimited funds from a Russian oligarch. Their company, Paladin has a business opportunity with the Vatican which is willing to allow access to the secret Vatican archives, to sell various artifacts, and to make duplicates of countless Vatican treasures. It turns out that there are liars everywhere. The oligarch wants access to the Vatican bank for the purpose of money laundering, but the Naples Mafia wants the deal for themselves. Clearly Cardinal Bertolini who is making the deal for the Pope, is not telling all that he knows about this proposed sale.

The book opens in one of my favorite places in Rome, Piazza Navona. Bo had been badly beaten up, although it is not clear who was behind the act. However, he is warned to stay away from the deal for the Italian foundry, Chiurazzi. On the other hand, the Vatican is claiming they want Marty and Bo to make the deal. Finances at the church are very tight and with a long history of financial mismanagement, they are badly in need of the money this deal would bring to them. Meanwhile Natalya is kidnapped and Marty and Bo are presented with a package that contains the fingernail from her little finger and a picture of her suffering from it’s removal. So the story moves forward in a rapid pace. I could not put it down.

I'’m ready to give very high praise to Balter. His use of simile is excellent and entertaining. Considering the content, it is reasonable to compare the writing of travel, mayhem, and mystery to the works of Daniel Silva, Dan Brown, and Don Winslow – high praise indeed. The main characters are very different from one another, are believable, and they enliven the plot. I want more of these characters, so I hope Balter will be bringing more novels to the table.

The Vatican Deal is an action-packed crime thriller that has everything that makes a crime thriller great- lies, secrets, deception, betrayal, and danger. This book is the second book of A Marty and Bo Thriller series but can be read and enjoyed as a standalone.
Marty and Bo are back, and this time, they're dragged into a crazy situation after they decide to partner with Nico. Unbeknownst to both Marty and Bo, Nico got himself mixed up in quite a few scams, with one dealing with fraudulent artwork. Now, a Russian oligarch is after the painting he was promised and $10 million. The only person who knows anything of this (Nico) is shot dead, and now it is up to Marty and Bo to retrieve the painting and cash.
This book is a fun, quick read, packed with enough drama and suspense to keep you invested to the very end. I enjoyed the added humor as well as the unique characters- they added a lot to the story. The pacing was perfect, and I appreciate the author for getting straight to it (with the death of Nico). A solid 4-star read!
Thank you NetGalley, Mission Point Press, and Michael Balter for this read!