Many years after becoming an international bestseller, The Devil's Advocate continues to rate among the best theological fiction of the 20th century. As beautifully written as West's New York Times bestseller, The Shoes of the Fisherman, it was nominated for the National Book Award. Monsignor Blaise Meredith is dying of stomach cancer. On his last mission as canonical inquisitor, he is in southern Italy investigating the life of the mysterious Giacomo Nerone, whom the locals are proclaiming to be a saint. Three people hold the key to understanding the enigmatic life and suspicious death of Nerone, but none of them are talking. Time is running out for Meredith, who hopes to discover not only the truth about the local "saint," but also the meaning of his own life before it's too late.