• The Third Secret

  • A Novel of Suspense
  • By: Steve Berry
  • Narrated by: Paul Michael
  • Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (853 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Third Secret  By  cover art

The Third Secret

By: Steve Berry
Narrated by: Paul Michael
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Fatima, Portugal, 1917: The Virgin Mary appears to three peasant children, sharing with them three secrets, two of which are soon revealed to the world. The third secret is sealed away in the Vatican, read only by popes, and not disclosed until the year 2000. When revealed, its quizzical tone and anticlimactic nature leave many faithful wondering if the church has truly unveiled all of the Virgin Mary's words or if a message far more important has been left in the shadows.

Vatican City, present day: Papal secretary Father Colin Michener is concerned for the Pope. Night after restless night, Pope Clement XV enters the Vatican's Riserva, the special archive open only to popes, where the church's most clandestine and controversial documents are stored. Though unsure of the details, Michener knows that the Pope's distress stems from the revelations of Fatima.

Equally concerned, but not out of any sense of compassion, is Alberto Cardinal Valendrea, the Vatican's Secretary of State. Valendrea desperately covets the papacy, having narrowly lost out to Clement at the last conclave. Now the Pope's interest in Fatima threatens to uncover a shocking ancient truth that Valendrea has kept to himself for many years.

When Pope Clement sends Michener to the Romanian highlands, then to a Bosnian holy site, in search of a priest, possibly one of the last people on Earth who knows Mary's true message, a perilous set of events unfolds. Michener finds himself embroiled in murder, suspicion, suicide, deceit, and his forbidden passion for a beloved woman. In a desperate search for answers, he travels to Pope Clement's birthplace in Germany, where he learns that the third secret of Fatima may dictate the very fate of the church, a fate now lying in Michener's own hands.

©2005 Steve Berry (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Berry handles his thriller tradecraft skillfully: his descriptions are stellar, and of special interest, he offers a vivid re-creation of the majestic conclave, in which the College of Cardinals elects a new pope." (Booklist)

What listeners say about The Third Secret

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    387
  • 4 Stars
    271
  • 3 Stars
    113
  • 2 Stars
    39
  • 1 Stars
    43
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    363
  • 4 Stars
    144
  • 3 Stars
    29
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    14
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    290
  • 4 Stars
    147
  • 3 Stars
    61
  • 2 Stars
    22
  • 1 Stars
    33

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

a story to make red state Christians see red

Marian visions, apocalyptic prophecies, the politics of the Papacy, and tangible proof for the existence of God all add up to a new summer thriller in the genre of Dan Brown. This is a story that will make red state Christians see red. It will give conservative Catholics and the Christian right something new to scream about and condemn. For the rest of us it is a fast paced, fun and thought provoking read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

If you don't mind........

.........reading the author's personal religious beliefs disguisd as a suspense novel, be my guest. Not up to Dan Brown standards. Forgeting that the story line is very unbeleivable, I don't like my suspense novels being op-ed pieces. Sorry, I really was looking for another DaVinci code but got a 12 hour editorial instead and I probably agree wih most of what the author is preaching.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

My first and last Steve Berry Book

I like to read several books by an author and get to know their style and flavor. One Steve Berry is one too many.

I really enjoyed The Third Secret until it revealed the missing part of that secret. Then I realized that what had been something of a glittering box of a story contained a lame, unimaginative nugget inside. After hearing that part, I just turned it off and went on to my next listen without even finishing the story. Just think about all the controversial topics within today's Catholic Church, pick the position opposite the Church, and that's The Third Secret. The conservatives are bad guys who kill people? C'mon, Steve, get a life (and some imagination)!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Captivating and moving story!

I thoroughly enjoyed Berry's previous novel, The Romanov Prophecy, and so was very excited to see this release on Audible. Like his previous work, Berry puts his spin on a classic historical event with intrigue. As such, his work may remind readers of Dan Brown and such, but he truly is a unique author. He develops his character well, and the story is continually moving. My only critique of this novel was that the ending, that is the secret, seemed a bit convenient, and thus not credible. Oh well, the story is still great and definitely a must listen!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

The priest takes a lover

Is it really plausible for a vatican based priest to lose faith as fast as the main character in this book? He is sent on a quest by a pope he respects and is his mentor and what does he do? He immediately includes his former lover. If you can set aside all common sense and just sit back and enjoy - it's a great summer read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Not a Bully Pulpit

After listening to the other Steve Berry novels, I'd expected more of a proactive protagonist. Colin Michener is a wuss. The author uses Colin's crises of faith to proselytize endlessly and hint shamelessly towards the moral and "the Third Secret" of the book. The antagonists are more fully developed than the 2 primary whiny protagonists. Several times I was tempted to simply turn the book off during the lengthy proselytizing episodes.
The book is supposed to be plotted around the Marian apparitions, particularly those of Fatima and Međugorje, yet the manner of exposition is very clumsy, (and I am familiar with both)! Berry's use of other hooks has always been straight forward, (once one suspends disbelief), allowing the story to do the all the twists. Here the exposition is stretched out and padded with non-essential apparitions, (La Salette), that had nothing to do with the story. Then the extemporaneous proselytizing during those continuous crises of faith kept dragging the plot to a standstill.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

I agree with Stephen

This author, though professing to be Catholic, is actually anti-Catholic. Though he has significant understanding of the workings of the Church, he knows nothing of it's Faith and Doctrine. It's impossible to write a decent Catholic novel without this knowledge and understanding. Nothing but a NOVEL piece of propaganda. I actually felt sick, as the anti-Christian diatribe began.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

became anti catholic diatribe

I hate to write this, but I have no choice. What could have been a davinci type pseudo religious thriller degenerated into anti Catholic pontificating (pun intended). Near the end the author uses highly convoluted logic to biblically justify among other things, abortion. NO MAJOR RELIGION OF ANY TYPE CONDONES ABORTION. Whether or not one agrees, the fact is religions do not approve of it. This is but one example. A WASTE OF MONEY.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

This one is ok

What did you like best about The Third Secret? What did you like least?

The writing was great and the constant interation between the characters was good. I thought the end was a bit of a letdown and Mr Berry was promoting his agenda. It is the book by him that I liked the least. The potenr\tial was great and then it just duds out

What about Paul Michael’s performance did you like?

He was great

Was The Third Secret worth the listening time?

up until the end

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Dismal let down

I listened to this book for hours anticipating a earth shattering revelation from no less than the mother of God herself only to learn to my great shock that the Virgin Mary supports gay marriage and abortion rights. What a dismal let down to what could have been a decent read notwithstanding it's constant Catholic bashing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful