Secret agent David Morton—a James Bond for a new era—returns in this compelling thriller from the New York Times–bestselling author of Deadly Perfume.

Suspicious of the West and fearful of the Muslim fanatics in the East, a troika plans to ensure that the Republic of Russia emerges as a military superpower. In California, the pastor of the Church of True Belief uses his satellite to spread global hatred. But the threat of a powerful Chinese businessman is the most sinister of all . . .

At the same time in Rome, a dying pope vows to unite all the faiths and bring to the world a peace and stability it has never known. He turns to South Africa's first black cardinal—entrusting him with a crucial, secret mission.

Using a mosaic of shard-like details, each meticulously exact, this extraordinary novel explores the dark, turbulent forces that intelligence agent David Morton must overcome if he is to destroy the cynical alliance around him. Already compared to Ian Fleming and John le Carré, in Godless Icon, Gordon Thomas confirms his reputation as a novelist of stature.