Autopsies: Glenn Cooper analyzes The Mark of the Devil

Special issue of Autopsies: this time Glenn Cooper plays the role of  Il Posto Nero coroner to dissect for us his new novel, The Mark of the Devil (Edizioni Nord), that will be published in Italy in October.
brain (the plot)A young Roman nun is the only person who can save the Vatican from a dangerous and ancient plot.
heart (the atmosphere, the pathos)This is a Roman story. As an outsider I've tried my best to capture the spirit of this amazing city from the first century Rome of Nero to the present. I hope the voice is authentic.
stomach (blood, splatter contents)There is violence in the story but I try to leave much of it to the imagination of the reader. One's mental image of violence is ofter more fearsome than a literal description.

lungs (the characters)
Elisabetta Celestino is a young nun who teaches at a primary convent school. Before joining the clergy she was an archaeology student who experienced a terrible trauma which drove her away from her profession to the church. Her sister is a physician, her brother a Vatican policeman and her father, a mathematician. Together they make a strong team to confront a powerful evil.
liver (the supernatural)As typical for my books, the supernatural and the natural are blended together. Everything I write about could be possible!
cause of death (summary)This is a book about good versus evil. Can there ever be a winner?
read the Autopsy in italian

The book: The Mark of the DevilRome, 1139. A man looks at the sky, waiting. Following the directions of his predecessors, he arrives in the Eternal City to witness the eclipse of the moon that will show a single astral alignment. At the appointed hour, the moon gradually dissolves into the darkness, giving way to 112 stars. It is a sign that the man was waiting for: 112 more popes, and then, on the ruins of the Church, there will arise a new world ... Rome, 64 D.C. The capital of the empire is burning. For days the fire has been devouring the houses of the plebeians and the monuments erected to celebrate a limitless power. There are rumors that the culprits are the followers of a new religious cult. Yet the Christians reveal a plot by the Emperor himself, and, led by Peter, trap and kill the servants of the devil. But the vengeance of Nero, fierce beyond all limits, will be only the first act of a secret conflict that will last thousands of years ... Cambridge, 1584. Christopher Marlowe was always known to be different. And now it's up to him to fight the war of his ancestors. The time of the final battle, however, has not yet come: his mission is to write a tragedy that glorify his descendants, and that hides a message for those who come after him ... Rome, today. A number of skeletons found in a columbarium in the first century AD, a succession of mysterious astrological symbols, a cursed book: these are the clues, putting at risk his own life and those of his loved ones ...
Author's ProfileGlenn Cooper (New York January 8, 1953) is an extraordinary case of self-made man. After graduating with honors in Archaeology at Harvard, he chose to obtain a doctorate in Medicine. Today he is president and CEO of the largest biotechnology industry in Massachusetts, but as a demonstration of his versatility, he is also screenwriter and film producer, and has established himself as the author of bestsellers. He published his first novel in 2009, The Library of the Dead (Editrice Nord), a resounding success translated in 22 countries. In 2010 it was the turn of the Book of Souls (Nord). His latest novel is The Map of Destiny (2011 Nord). His new novel, The Mark of the Devil (Nord) will be published in Italy in October 2011. Web Site


Insights (only in italian)
Interview with Glenn Cooper by Alessandro Manzetti on La Tela Nera Ten Knives Interview with Glenn Cooper by Alessandro Manzetti on Il Posto Nero