'Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler' by Mark Riebling is a fascinating read focused on recently uncovered documents from the Catholic church. The narrative is fast moving and full of thrills.

History has not been kind to Pope Pius XII. He is probably the most hated pope in modern history. The church took a lot of criticism for seeming to side with Hitler and do nothing while he tried to eradicate the Jews. This book has a different story to tell. Newly discovered documents show that the church actively worked to undermine Hitler. Working with a large group of Vatican operatives and a network that extended into the German resistance, the church actually had a hand in three attempts to assassinate Hitler.

One of the main characters is Josef Müller, nicknamed as Joey Ox, and he was sent on a series of trips to the Vatican carrying correspondence. Being caught with this would have meant his death.

Another is Wilhelm Canaris, who was a German admiral and chief of the German military intelligence service. He decided that Germany couldn't win this war, and joined the opposition to overthrow Hitler.

The Vatican had a secret radio room that was set up by Marconi. Information flowed smoothly as the church was without suspicion, but the life of resistance is not glamorized, and many who were captured were tortured and killed. It's a fascinating book, and I found the way it was told to be gripping. Even though the outcome of the war is known, Mark Riebling knows how to tell a true story very well.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Basic Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm so very thankful for the opportunity to review this ebook.