Discover First: Get one of 100 copies of White Smoke before it hits bookshops

100 readers will be selected to receive early copies of White Smoke by Nick Brucker before it's published in March 2027.

The house of God. The heist of the century.

When ageing conman Nikola Camilleri is hired to rob the Vatican, he thinks it's the perfect final score. Funded by the mysterious criminal mastermind Dante, Nikola assembles a team of old cons and new, and starts to lay the groundwork for the heist of a lifetime. The plan: break into both the Vatican Secret Archives and the Treasury of St Peter's Basilica, and walk out with enough priceless items to keep them living in luxury forever. But as the pieces fall into place, Nikola suspects that the elusive Dante might have something more than theft on his mind.

Then the Pope dies – suddenly, unexpectedly – and the Catholic world is plunged into mourning. Hundreds of Cardinals, their associated security and staff, and millions of tourists descend on the city-state as the Vatican enters conclave.

Undeterred, the team push ahead, hoping to use the chaos to slip between the gaps. They impersonate clergy, steal ancient keys, and sneak through old smuggling tunnels that haven't seen human tread since the Renaissance.

But Nikola doesn't know that Dante has no intention of letting anyone escape.

That the heist is just the beginning.

That the real target isn't treasure – it's the very institution of the Papacy itself.

'A wonderfully tense heist thriller and a propulsive read' Tariq Ashkanani, author of Midnight King

'With a whipcrack pace, razor-sharp humour, and a cast of characters you can't help but root for, White Smoke is a superb heist thriller that entwines the sacred and the secret to incredible effect' David Goodman, author of A Reluctant Spy