Cradle and All [Paperback]

With the expert craftsmanship that his fans have come to expect, James Patterson's latest is an apocalyptic thriller that brilliantly melds intrigue with religious hysteria. Boasting a genuinely unnerving premise and hugely amplified with Patterson's fast-paced, uncluttered prose, Cradle and All pits the intensity of Faith against the certainties of Science within an arena of Millennial tensions. In the midst of a series of unexplained plagues and famines, two teenage girls are heavily pregnant, despite being virgins. According to the sacred prophecies of Fatima, one will bear the child of Christ and the other, the spawn of Satan. Both Anne Fitzgerald, a former nun turned private detective, and the Vatican's Father Rossetti are sent to investigate. But which girl carries which child? The possibility of miracle will be tainted with great suffering before the awful, unexpected truth is revealed. As the action speedily moves from the hallowed halls of the Vatican to the media frenzy of America to the small-town hysteria of Ireland, Patterson divines considerable suspense from the novel's central premise, tackling issues of Faith with admirable aplomb: "All over the world...so many people still believed. Everywhere, people talked of the Apocalypse, perhaps the end of the world...Which perhaps explained why so many people were suddenly going to church." A relentless, captivating pace culminating in a superbly twisted ending makes this a hard one to put down. Fans of The Excorcist's brand of religious horror will find this highly compelling. --Danny Graydon --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'Patterson knows how to produce a readable and exciting thriller' The Sunday Times 'The authors sure-fire tactics have us turning those pages with ever-increasing speed' Good Book Guide

Kathleen, from privileged Newport, Rhode Island; Colleen, from a poor Irish village - two teenagers who are both pregnant, and both in great danger.

A private detective named Anne Fitzgerald suddenly has the case of a lifetime - she quickly finds herself caught between the certainty of science and the possibility of a miracle which could stop the terrible medical epidemics now sweeping the globe. Once a nun and now a private detective with a Masters in psychology, Anne's very belief in humanity is put to the ultimate test as she comes face to face with an unimaginable evil.

James Patterson is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past decade: the Women's Murder Club, the Alex Cross novels and Maximum Ride, and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand-alone thrillers. He has won an Edgar Award, the mystery world's highest honour. He lives in Florida with his wife and son.