The Thieves of Heaven [Mass Market Paperback]

Richard Doetsch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 2006

The most closely Guarded treasure on Earth.

An explosive ancient secret.

A breakneck journey into the heart of the Vatican.

In a small, heavily fortified room just north of the Sistine Chapel, a master thief is about to strike. All he needs is an instant–to steal the most important treasure in the Vatican museum: two antique keys–one gold, one silver–that protect the secret of salvation….

But a surprise awaits Michael St. Pierre deep inside the Vatican, an ancient secret so explosive, it sends him running for his life—from the streets of Rome to a small stone church in Israel—with two stolen keys and a terrible realization: the consequences of his desperate, brazen act are far greater than he could ever have imagined.

For the treasure he has uncovered—the gleaming prize buried within the most clandestine structure on earth—is about to bring him face-to-face with an enemy more shocking, frightening, and insidious than anyone can guess....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Michael St. Pierre is a retired master thief taking on one last score—knocking over the Vatican—in Doetsch's first novel, an effective papal thriller. When his beloved wife, Mary, is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Michael reluctantly agrees to a burglary for a mysterious German businessman, August Finster. Finster will pay all of Mary's medical expenses if Michael steals a set of keys, one gold and one silver, from the Vatican. Michael pulls off the job, but naturally there's more to it than a simple robbery: Finster has sinister plans for the keys, which hold the power to keep humanity out of heaven forever. With the help of Michael's cop buddy and a Vatican priest, Michael must steal the keys back from Finster and return them to Rome. Doetsch wisely keeps the supernatural elements to a minimum, putting the focus on his characters and fusing horror and international thriller while avoiding the usual suspects (no Knights of the Templar here). Though some plot elements don't hold to close scrutiny (one paranormal character is omnipotent only when it's convenient to the plot), Doetsch's debut is an enjoyable and suspenseful read. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Devilishly fun and enjoyable—more than that, a thriller rich with inspiration, passion, cleverness, and intelligence told by a superbly gifted writer. A highly ambitious novel, and one that delivers on every count."—Brian Haig The President's Assasin

"An effective papal thriller.... an enjoyable and suspenseful read."—Publishers Weekly

"At the heart of this spectacular thriller is a classic love story. Michael St. Pierre will literally move heaven and earth to save the woman he loves."—Stephen Frey, author of The Chairman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Dell (April 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440242886
• ISBN-13: 978-0440242888
• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For those who care... my interest range from scuba diving, bungee jumping and helo skiing to hockey, lacrosse and golf. No one is more fun to watch on their home turf than the NY Giants, the NY Yankees or the Detroit Red Wings even when they don't win championships. I love the sound of everything whether it is Slash's Les Paul through a Marshal amp, John Williams conducting the London Philharmonic or the sound of my daughter's breath as she sleeps. My day is never complete unless I learn something new, speak to my children, hug and kiss my wife, leave my office with a clean desk, wipe a frown from someone's face and write 1500 words.

I write from 11pm to 2am every night. Everyone wants to know why I don't quit my day job. I run a highly active real estate company that is filled with pressure, nightmares and travel. The simple fact is I love what I do. I love the people, the solving of crisis and the satisfaction of accomplishment. Writing is a world I run to at night, a place that I can escape into, where I can visit the people I have created and where I can dream up impossible situations for them to try and get out of. The bottom line is I need the interaction with others during the day and the solitude with my imagination at night.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Love Story!!, May 19, 2006

By 

Jessica Sunday (New Orleans, La.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Thieves of Heaven (Mass Market Paperback)

Anyone who reads the dedication for this book will realize the author has actually set the tone for a love story in his first novel. Michael and Mary have a bond far deeper than just their love for eachother. This book is uplifting in every regard..it is action packed and the ending will fill you with hope. Congratulations Richard on keeping me glued to the pages for hours!! I look forward to your next novel!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Best Historical Bible Fiction Books I've Read!, July 8, 2010

By 

Glenda A Bixler "Glenda" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Thieves of Heaven (Mass Market Paperback)

Have you ever finished a book that was so enjoyable that you just had to tell somebody?! Well I've just read The Thieves of Heaven by Richard Doetsch and so YOU are the one I'm going to tell! Cool, right?

Michael St. Pierre is a master thief--or should I say he was, since he's retired now and married to his beautiful, beloved wife, Mary. He was first sent to prison when he chose to save a woman's life rather than leave the site where he was in the midst of stealing diamonds. Of course, nobody really knew what he had done so he was sent to jail and was now out, running his own security system business.

He and his wife, Mary, are very much in love. When she first learned he was a thief, she pulled away but soon came back to him and visited him while he was in prison. But she did ask Michael for a promise: he was not to go back into his life of crime!

Helping him to keep that promise is his parole officer, now close friend, Detective Busch. His wife, Jeanne and Mary are also close friends.

But then they found that Mary had a tumor which was cancerous. Her treatment would cost $250,000. Busch offered to cash in his $35,000 retirement, but no bank would give Michael a loan and Mary had just changed jobs and her insurance had not yet started. Mary was a very devout woman and both regularly attended the Church. Michael even begged them for help; they turned him away!

Where could Michael get the money?!

And then he was visited by a well-known billionaire; he would pay all expenses for Mary, if Michael would do one job for him.

With no other option, Michael agreed. And then learned that he was to steal just two keys--from the Vatican!

In order to complete the job and get the remaining money, Michael had to figure out where the keys really were! Michael had a mind for such strategic thinking...so it didn't take him long to figure out where to go next.

For by now, Michael knew that the keys were those that had been given by Jesus to Simon Peter some 2000 years ago...

And he did find the keys, but was almost killed until again, his mind figured out how to get away. He immediately delivered the keys to his employer and went home to Mary. It was then that he learned that the treatments for Mary were not working; the cancer was spreading.

And the man who he had escaped when he found the keys was at his home waiting...His name was...Simon...

He told Michael a story about himself and explained what Michael had done by stealing the keys. And who the billionnaire really was. He told Michael they were going to steal the keys back!

I must say that I love fiction based upon the Bible! And Richard Doetsch with The Thieves of Heaven gave this suspense/mystery/thriller fan one of the best books I've ever read! Michael is filled with disbelief, fear, worry, but he could not take the risk that his beloved Mary would...

What would YOU do? This is supernatural suspense at its finest! A must-read recommendation from this reviewer!

Book was Purchased



G. A. Bixler

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, April 30, 2006

By 

Dan "Longsword" (USA, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Thieves of Heaven (Mass Market Paperback)

Thieves of heaven is an explosive suspense about a master thief stealing an important treasure. The many surprising twists and turns keep the reader quickly turning pages with excitement. This non-stop thriller is without doubt, a solid, highly entertaining read, which makes it easy to fall into the rhythm of the book and the main characters: Michael and Mary, whose undying love and devotion to one another makes it hard to put down.
I definetively loved this book, which reminded me of Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. I liked how the action never stopped as well as the sudden development of the events. I will surelly be looking for more books by Richard Doetsch!