4390. Heirs of the Fisherman Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession, by John-Peter Pham (read 1 Dec 2007) I finished this most interesting book on Dec 1, 2007. The book came out in 2004 and in discussing who will be the next Pope the author says: "Ratzinger might have been considered...a serious contender for the papacy, if it were not for the almost visceral reaction that mention of his name elicits in some quarters." Obviously those "quarters" were not decisive with the Cardinals. In addition to very attention-holding history and absorbing discussion of the present problems and challenges to the Church, there are in the book seven appendices which are also full of good things to know and I read all of them also. The subject matter of this book makes it a five-star book indeed! ( )