In the shadows of Tennessee and Los Angeles, a fortune-teller and an evangelist, both claiming to bear the holy wounds of stigmata, are brutally murdered.

Meanwhile, in a shanty town on the outskirts of Rome, a young gypsy girl emerges bearing the unmistakable wounds of stigmata. When the Vatican takes notice, two members of the esteemed Miracle Commission are dispatched to investigate this extraordinary phenomenon. What they discover sets off a chain of events that will shake the very foundations of faith.
Unknown to them, however, a lethal paramilitary group known as the Black Templars is tracking their every move. As news of the Vatican's investigation reaches the assassins' ears, they descend upon the gypsy encampment with ruthless intent.

Alone and desperate for salvation, the girl makes her way to the hallowed grounds of the Vatican not knowing that her arrival will ignite a deadly race against time. The Black Templars, fueled by their insidious mission, become relentless in their pursuit to eliminate her.

In this tumultuous backdrop, the Vatican Knights, under the leadership of Master Commander Kimball Hayden, are entrusted with an impossible task. They must transport a mysterious child to safety, a child who displays stigmata wounds that could confirm her divine role as the Angel of the Second Coming. The stakes are unimaginable, and failure is not an option.

With the Black Templars closing in, the Vatican Knights find themselves battling not only a merciless enemy but their own doubts and fears. As ancient prophecies collide with modern conspiracies, a thrilling struggle unfolds. Faith is tested, loyalties are strained, and the line between good and evil blurs.

In a race against time and against a formidable adversary, the Vatican Knights must protect the child at all costs. Their journey will take them through treacherous terrain, both physical and spiritual, as they confront the very essence of their beliefs. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance, and the Vatican Knights are all that stand between salvation and untold darkness.

The compelling characters that are the VATICAN KNIGHTS pulls the reader in and never lets go. Each of the 24 action thriller novels within the series will leave readers gripped by espionage, religious power, terrorism, and political warfare, and immerses them in the world the VATICAN KNIGHTS live and operate in. A global television series is currently in development.

Ileen Maisel – Executive Producer - The Golden Compass, Dangerous Liaisons (winner of 3 Academy Awards), Onegin (nominated for BAFTA Award as best Producer), Romeo and Juliet. Development Executive – The Star Chamber.

From bestselling author Rick Jones, he brings another action-laden adventure of the Vatican Knights series.

Vatican Knights is an edge-of-your-seat adventure, an awesome tale filled with twists and turns that you'll never see coming, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Rick Jones is the future of thrillers.

Richard Doetsch - Bestselling author of The THIEVES OF FAITH and The 13th HOUR