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THE POPES BUTCHER: Based on the True Story of a Serial Killer in the Medieval Vatican by [Joseph C. Gioconda]

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Joseph C. Gioconda

THE POPES BUTCHER: Based on the True Story of a Serial Killer in the Medieval Vatican Kindle Edition

by Joseph C. Gioconda (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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An Amazon best-seller one week after release, The Pope’s Butcher is not only a hair-raising work of suspense and espionage, but an astonishing account of religion and the occult in the Middle Ages.

★ Synopsis ★

Abandoned as a child and raised by the Church, young Sebastian works tirelessly in his pursuit of priesthood. But when a shadowy hooded figure passes him a scroll, his careful plans face a turning point. It appears his name has drawn the attention of the Inquisition and his attendance is commanded at once—for retribution, information, or something else, he does not know.

Father Heinrich Institoris the Grand Inquisitor is lauded as a visionary man, driven by a burning desire to cleanse the world of Eve’s original sin by eradicating witches. As Inquisition courts bloom across Europe, he vows to leave no stone unturned, no hovel unexamined, and no woman alive, in his search for justice.

As the Inquisitor’s violent mission unfolds, Sebastian embarks on a quest through dank crypts, crumbling abbeys, and the darkest depravities known to man. Torn between duty and love when he encounters the beautiful pagan Brigantia, he fights to uncover the truth: of his past abandonment, the power of the occult, and just how far he’ll go to protect the Church he loves. A Church that is harboring deadly secrets.

With an intriguing writing tone and a talent to create suspense and mystery from true events, Joseph C. Gioconda delivers a shocking story of serial murders within the Catholic Church. In writing his first novel, he has interviewed leading scholars in the U.S. and Europe and hired professional researchers to comb through newly discovered source material from Germany and Italy.

Print length

250 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

June 2, 2021
File size

2201 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

★ "Wow. The history perfectly blended with the world building and characterization to create a hypnotic tale I couldn't put down." -- Author J.A. Martin

★ "Exhaustively researched and brilliantly executed...A riveting read." -- The Prairies Book Review

★ "The Pope's Butcher is top-notch writing, the best book I've read this year, and I'm looking forward to Joseph C. Gioconda's second novel, Salem's Ropes." -- Lex Allen, Reader's Favorite Book Review

★ "Immersing the reader in the bloody but fascinating world of medieval witch trials, Joseph Gioconda's debut is a thrilling take on a little-known historical episode." -- Indie Reader Book Review

★ "A dark, well-researched story centered on the Inquisition's most notorious killer. With evocative prose and careful research, Gioconda captures the nuances of medieval Church politics and the frank realities of the prejudices of the time." -- BookLife by Publisher's Weekly

★ "From the first chapter, I was hooked as the book is a real page turner! I love that the book is inspired by actual history and that the author provides great details about the true horror in the medieval Vatican!" -- NetGalley Reviewer

★ "I loved the world building as well as the absolutely authentic feel. Institoris is as twisted a character as one can have, but the scariest part is that he was real. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author." -- GoodReads Reviewer

★ "The Pope's Butcher is one of those novels that leaves you thinking about what was, what is, and what will be in the next hundred years. Now that's good writing!" -- Viga Boland, Reader's Favorite Book Review

★ "Interesting and intriguing, the story flowed well and would recommend this even if you have no interest in the church." -- NetGalley Reviewer

★ "The author did a great job in merging facts and fiction...it hits the nail on the head without being too gory." -- Online Book Club

★ "All I can say right now is Wow, Just Wow. This book was intense and the author did an awesome job putting it all together." -- GoodReads Reviewer

★ "The plot is twisty with great pacing and plenty of hair-raising action with well-developed characters that grow throughout the book. Fantastic story. I really want to read more from this author and hope he has a sequel in the offing." -- Anne Marie Reynolds, Reader's Favorite Book Review

About the Author

Joseph C. Gioconda is a former Catholic seminarian who went on to graduate from Yale Law School and become a trial lawyer.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B095SZJSPY
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Newtown IP Holdings LLC; 1st edition (June 2, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 2, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2201 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 250 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,412 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #4 in Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction
- #8 in Historical Mysteries (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
159 ratings

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Joseph C. Gioconda

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Joseph C. Gioconda spent years as a Roman Catholic seminarian, which preceded his further career development in the secular world. He earned his law degree from the prestigious Yale Law School and is now a trial lawyer. He is a member of the Historical Novel Society.

THE POPE'S BUTCHER was his first novel and was a #1 Amazon bestseller the first week after publication. His second novel SALEM'S ROPES was published in October 2021. Mr. Gioconda also published and edited an anthology of short stories called FLEETING CHILLS.

Mr. Gioconda is currently working on a fourth novel about Benjamin Franklin's time in London, and a fifth about true ritualistic serial killers in New Orleans.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5

159 global ratings

5 star		42%
4 star		34%
3 star		14%
2 star		2%
1 star		8%

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Hannibal Lecter meets Game of Thrones.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 2, 2021

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Incredibly rich and detailed historically, this book is a real page-turner! From the very first chapter, I was hooked. The Inquisitor is a fascinating character and Sebastian is a compelling protagonist. The details are very nice.
For his first novel, the author did an incredible job! I look forward to more books about these same characters.
Really interesting story. I found myself wanting to learn more about Institoris as a real historical figure. It is amazing that we don’t know more about him. A real gem!
Intriguing characters. I want to get to know them better in a sequel.

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

kelly knapp

Illuminating

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 5, 2021

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An entirely new look at the inquisition and the Catholic church of the middle ages. Amazing information about a time in history about which I knew very little

9 people found this helpful

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Diane

Dark

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 24, 2021

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A good mix of history and dark fiction. Well done plot and a bit creepy. Kept me turning pages.

3 people found this helpful

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tracey a.

Loved it - Medeival Thriller

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 31, 2021

Verified Purchase

Havent enjoyed a book this much since The Davinci Code. Still amazed this is based on a true story. Why hasn't this story been told until now? Anyway - a good read, especially if you have an interest in Medieval times and the early Catholic Church

10 people found this helpful

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rusty

Badly written boring "historical fiction"

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 7, 2022

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The Pope's Butcher is a great title. Too bad someone who can write fiction didn't do the book. It's not easy to take a subject like the Inquisition ands Witchcraft and make it really boring. The characters are flat stereotypes, who speak like they live in modern times, the settings lack atmosphere. There are details that made me laugh out loud as when the heroine-witch wears a pink dress in a period when only nobility had any access to color. In the Foreword Gioconda says we are in for "descriptions of cruelty and torture." Considering the title, the reader is led to believe he or she will view some disturbing scenes that the book does not contain. This is like really bad pulp fiction, with heaving breasts and flimsy dresses and one of the worst Irish accents I have ever read. The Pope's Butcher is a rip-off. Save your money.

15 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Historical fiction at its best!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 24, 2021

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This is a well-written and thought provoking work of historical fiction. The author brings you into the medieval world of the Vatican and you feel as if you're on the journey with the characters. A must read regardless of your religious background. Bravissimo!

4 people found this helpful

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deandra robinson

Nicely done

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 15, 2022

I cant believe I didn't ever hear this story before. The book itself..... it was one that I really had a hard time putting down. The story was very well told, and I found myself deeply invested in Sebastian. I was on the edge of my seat cringing at his mistakes, and wanting to push him forward when he was not sure what to do.

Helpful

J Eman

Vivid, bloody, and compelling

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 13, 2022

This was such a fascinating and well researched novel about the Inquisition.

Everyone knows about the Knights Templar and the Inquisition of Europe tracking down witches and other heretics.

What people may not know, and honestly I never thought about, what the total and complete devastation that be felled women in that time could be traced back to one man. Granted others helped in the persecution, but one man - the Grand Inquisitor - was ultimately responsible for the horrors surrounding that time.

This novel did take me a little bit to get really involved in the narrative, but After a few chapters I was able to speed through. The story itself is a compelling one that combines fiction with history.

I greatly enjoyed much of the story being told by Sebastian, a young man sent by Father Heinrich Institoris, the Grand Inquisitor, to research the Old Ways and witchcraft. Sebastian is naive and gullible, but his heart was in the right place while he travelled and learned.

The other points of view shared in the novel were wonderful to bring a well-rounded account of the actions and consequences therein of the time. I greatly recommend this novel to anyone interested in the culmination of the Inquisition and the appearance of the book that influenced the Salem Witch Trials years later.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Diana Jackson

A Gruesome but Gripping Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 2, 2021

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A well researched novel taking on the difficult subject of the Inquisition at its worst. The human natures of Sebastian who stood for the good and pure, and Brigantia who showed us the character of a witch who strived for healing and love~ a medieval apothecary, balanced an otherwise terrifying period in history where the church certainly did not shine in glory. I loved the touch of the Knights Templar coming to the rescue at the end, but was it just too little too late?

Suey

Predictable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

Decided to read because of the hype and seemed a bit different. Really couldn't see what the fuss was about. Predictable story line/ending and pretty dull

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THE POPES BUTCHER: Based on the True Story of a Serial Killer in the Medieval Vatican Kindle Edition

An Amazon best-seller one week after release, The Pope’s Butcher is not only a hair-raising work of suspense and espionage, but an astonishing account of religion and the occult in the Middle Ages.

★ Synopsis ★

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