Cradle and All - by James Patterson

This is one of those "Apocalypse Now" kind of books that send a cold shiver down your spine while you are reading it and for a day or two thereafter.

So predictably, the world is being ravaged by famines (Rajasthan in India!) and mysterious outbreaks of long-eradicated diseases like polio. In the midst of this death and suffering, two teenage girls are pregnant - one in the US and the other one in Ireland. And both of them are virgins! As per the prophecies at Fatima all those years ago, one is carrying the Savior of the world while the other's child will plunge the world in darkness.

The church's problem? They don't know which virgin is carrying whom. So they send a team of priests to figure it out for them. The rest is the story about faith and courage!

For years, I had seen the board of a pilgrim company and wondered about the Muslim-sounding name Fatima that was mentioned in the sites. It was this book that made me search on the net for it.

It's a pretty fast-paced narrative that you will find hard to put down. The author has managed to keep the suspense over the 2 virgins right till the end. In the final pages, the book does pack a few twists and turns. So if you are for thrillers that involve an element of the religion, then this book is definitely for you.