The Road to Gandolfo by Robert Ludlum

A disgraced general's absurd plot to kidnap the Pope

Good condition – visible spine crease and light staining to the cover.

A rare comic detour from thriller master Robert Ludlum (originally published under the pen name Michael Shepherd), this novel follows General MacKenzie Hawkins, a decorated but disgraced war hero drummed out of the Army after an incident in Beijing. Determined to get rich and settle scores, Hawkins hatches an outrageous scheme: kidnap the Pope and demand a ransom of one dollar from every Catholic in the world. Reluctantly dragged into the plot is army lawyer Sam Devereaux, who just wants to get back to civilian life but instead finds himself managing Hawkins's ex-wives, shady investors, and a plan that somehow keeps working. Fast, irreverent and far more comedic than Ludlum's famous Bourne novels, it's a satirical send-up of the military, the mob, and organized religion alike.