The Characters
Harry Addison
Father Daniel Addison — Harry’s younger brother, a priest in the Vatican and private secretary to Cardinal Marsciano
Nursing sister Elena Voso
Hercules, a dwarf
The Vatican
Giacomo Pecci, Pope Leo XIV
The pope’s Uomini di fiducia, “Men of trust”
Cardinal Umberto Palestrina
Cardinal Nicola Marsciano
Cardinal Joseph Matadi
Monsignor Fabio Capizzi
Cardinal Rosario Parma
Father Bardoni, an aide to Cardinal Marsciano
The Vatican Police
Jacov Farel, head of the Vatican Police
Homicide Detective Otello Roscani
Homicide Detective Gianni Pio
Homicide Detective Scala
Homicide Detective Castelletti
Gruppo Cardinale—The special task force set up by decree of the Italian Ministry of the Interior to investigate the murder of the cardinal vicar of Rome
Marcello Taglia, Gruppo Cardinale Chief Prosecutor
The Chinese
Li Wen, a state water-quality inspector
Chen Yin, a merchant of cut flowers
Yan Yeh, president of the People’s Bank of China
Jiang Youmei, Chinese ambassador to Italy
Zhou Yi, Jiang’s foreign minister
Wu Xian, general secretary of the Communist Party
The Freelancers
Thomas Jose Alvarez-Rios Kind, international terrorist
Adrianna Hall, World News Network correspondent
James Eaton, first secretary to the counselor for Political Affairs, United States Embassy, Rome
Pierre Weggen, Swiss investment banker
Miguel Valera, a Spanish communist