The Omega Factor - Steve Berry

Hodder & Stoughton - <p>The Vatican Never ForgetsNicholas Lee's job is one-of-a-kind, as unique as his charges. He's UNESCO's one and only field agent, their practical answer to the criminals seeking to plunder the world's artifacts and cultural heritage. So Nick is perfectly placed when, on a personal visit to a friend in Belgium, the world-famous Ghent Altarpiece's twelfth panel is burnt to ashes. Thankfully it's a worthless copy, but that just piques his interest more. Especially when the arsonists are seen to return to a nunnery. Nick's holiday is over, but as his investigations begin to unravel secrets that have held for two millennia he realises this is no ordinary criminal enterprise. Dangerous players are rearing their heads, from cardinals to archbishops to modern-day Cathars, and Nick might just have made things a whole lot worse . . .From the tranquil canals of Ghent, to the towering bastions of Carcassonne, and finally into an ancient abbey high in the French Pyrenees, Nick Lee must confront a modern-day religious crusade intent on eliminating a shocking truth from humanity's past. Success or failure - life and death - all turn on the Omega Factor. 'Berry once again smoothly blends action and history. Dan Brown fans will want to check this one out' - Publishers Weekly</p>