Most Popular Books by Morris West

American ambassador Maxwell Gordon Amberley has a reputation as a tough negotiator. Yet when he is sent to Vietnam, the dilemma he faces throws him into self-doubt. He is made arbiter of his nation''s fate on the one hand, and of the life and death of the ruling house of Vietnam on the other. Out of every international crisis comes at least one great book. From the explosive, bitter and savage battlefront of Vietnam, Morris West''s masterly novel The Ambassador brings to life the early days of the Vietnam War and its backroom political dealings, foreshadowing the repercussions that continue today.

"A rich panoply of colorful types combines to prove to Luca what he had always feared might not be true: namely, that God writes straight with crooked lines."

Before the war Mark Hanlon had known and loved Austria as a Jesuit novice. As an older and now a married man, he is returning to it as Occupation Commander of the town of Bad Quellenberg in the British zone when his driver is shot dead by a mysterious skier.

A fictional investigation of the dilemma faced by modern man when confronted with increasing social violence.

The Pope is dead, and the corridors of the Vatican are abuzz as cardinals from around the globe gather to choose his successor. The election is concluded with a surprise choice.

Whether watching his novels transformed into successful films in Hollywood or recording, in Rome, his firsthand observations of the struggles between Vatican orthodoxy and reformers in the 1960s, West recounts the lifelong evolution of his personal creed of belief. He recalls the difficult collapse of his first marriage and the birth of a new and stronger one, the joys of fatherhood and grandfatherhood, and the colorful spectrum of friends - including European royalty, high clergy of the Vatican, and flamboyant Australian politicos - who have spiced his long life. He muses upon evil, redemption, and the evolution of the Church he loves.

Bryan Cavanagh, an Irishman from Australia, and the Principessa, the bride of a wealthy American, share a passionate affair in their youth, and then meet again, some forty years later.

"Bruno was that perilous thing, a free spirit, and suffered death for his right to certain concepts. I knew from conversations with Morris that Giordano Bruno was a soul mate, someone with whose life history Morris identified, even though Morris possessed a somewhat less strident temperament than Broads. "Failed priest," as Morris has Bruno declare in this tale, "fugitive monk, magus with a box of conjuring tricks, boaster, prevaricator, would be torchbearer trudging through his own darkness, garrulous in dialogue, viperous in debate."

Ailing Pope Leo XIV is threatened by the terrorist group, The Sword of Islam, while in the Vatican, intrigue and conspiracy mount. Leo''s heart surgeon gets caught up in the terrorist plot.

Originally published: New York: Morrow, 1959.

A quest for buried treasure in a shipwreck in Australia''s Great Barrier Reef turns into a race against a treacherous rival. Twenty chests of minted Spanish gold in a sunken galleon-this is the lure that brings historian Renn Lundigan to a tiny island off Australia''s Great Barrier Reef. Renn enlists islander Johnny Akimoto to teach him scuba diving, but soon realises there''s a far greater danger in the reef than the sharks. Gambling den owner Manny Mannix has followed him to the island, and now he threatens not only Renn and Johnny, but also the beautiful young scientist Pat Mitchell. Gallows on the Sand is a fast-paced story of high adventure, with the rich characterisation that made Morris West one of the bestselling writers of his day. ''West is a great storyteller, a writer who can spin a fine yarn, and keep us guessing until the tale is told.'' The Age ''A little gem.'' ScubaBoard

In the near future Pope Gregory XVII is forced to abdicate after claiming to have received a private revelation of the end of the world.

Carl Strassberger''s comfortable life in the south of France is shattered when his brother-in-law Larry Lucas, the heir to the family banking business, suddenly vanishes after landing a multimillion-dollar deal. Investigating Larry''s disappearance, Carl uncovers a sinister travel company that helps wealthy, unhappy clients disappear to a new life. But Carl fears Larry is dead-or worse. Vanishing Point is a story of flight and pursuit, of financial intrigue, of old and menacing secrets unearthed and of normal lives thrown suddenly into violent confusion.

In the highland valleys of New Guinea a small colony of Europeans confronts the dark power of tribal sorcery. In a valley deep in the highlands of New Guinea lives a small colony of Europeans. One of them is Kurt Sonderfield, a doctor with a shady past who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. N''Daria is a hauntingly beautiful native girl whom Sonderfield has trained in the art of seduction. Kumo is a young sorcerer who has fallen under Sonderfield''s sway. Only two dare oppose Sonderfield: the old French missionary Père Louis, and Gerda, the wife Sonderfield has betrayed. As the passions and power plays of the Europeans collide with ancient highland magic, the beat of the kundu drums thunders through the valley, bringing the story to an explosive climax. ''West is a great storyteller, a writer who can spin a fine yarn, and keep us guessing until the tale is told.'' The Age ''A taste of what New Guinea culture was like before the arrival of the white man . . . a very satisfying ending.'' Amazon review

Head of a prestigious European bank, George Harlequin belongs to a vanishing class of gentlemen whose handshake is their bond. But when an envious corporate raider frames Harlequin for murder, no deed is too dirty if it will save Harlequin''s reputation, his bank-- and his life.

Based on a case history recorded in C.G. Jung''s autobiography.

Titles included: The naked country, Gallows on the sand, The concubine, Kundu.

One man''s search for an uncharted, legendary island to which all navigators are said to go on the eve of their deaths. A tale of high adventure, ancient mystery and modern men and women rediscovering love, comradeship and tribal life, in the face of primal terrors. Son of a Norwegian master-mariner and grandson of Kaloni, the last of the great Polynesian navigators, Gunnar Thorkild is a man consumed by a dream. Convinced that the Polynesians'' legendary Island of the Dead is real, he risks his career, his life-and those of his fellow adventurers-to find it. Shipwrecked on the very island they seek, the castaways are forced to leave behind everything they know and rely upon. To survive in this lush tropical paradise, they must make new laws of power and property, of sex and marriage. The Navigator is a gripping tale of sea lore, shipwreck and moral courage. ''This is a great read and . . . will make you think.'' Amazon review ''Hypnotic from start to finish.'' Chicago Sun-Times

In an impoverished village in southern Italy, the enigmatic life and mysterious death of Giacomo Nerone has inspired talk of sainthood. Father Blaise Meredith, a dying English priest, is sent by the Vatican to investigate. As he tries to untangle the web of facts, rumours and outright lies that surround Nerone, The Devil''s Advocate reminds us how the power of goodness ultimately prevails over despair. The Devil''s Advocate was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the W.H. Heinemann Award of the Royal Society of Literature, and was made into a film. It sold three million copies in its first two years and remains one of Morris West''s most popular novels. A reading experience of real emotional intensity.'' The New York Times Book Review An engrossing story, expertly told, about a set of fascinating people.'' Chicago Sunday Tribune Brilliant and deeply disturbing. The Daily Telegraph

A thriller, who-dunnit and morality tale rolled into one.