The material in this novel is a work of fiction, but it is based on a great many facts. The description of the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi - organizations founded by Marcial Maciel Delgado - is based on historical accounts and subsequent documentation and reports. Shocking but true. You can read more in the book Fr Marcial Maciel. Pedophile, Psychopath and Legion of Christ Founder by J. Pail Lennon. See also Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II by Jason Berry and Gerald Renner, which was originally published in 2004 and updated in 2014. Other books on this topic include The Legion of Christ: A History by Gerald Renner and Jason Berry and A Priest's Tale: Autobiography of a Disgraced Priest by Fernando M. Gonzalez. As for the Vatican bank, Gerald Posner's account in God's Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican (2015) is well worth a read. Homosexuality in the Catholic Curia has been well documented in the book In the Closet of the Vatican - Power, Homosexuality and Hypocrisy by Frederic Martel, published in 2015. Based on 1,500 in-person interviews, which included 41 cardinals, 52 bishops and monsignors, 45 apostolic nuncios and foreign ambassadors. It is very detailed and directly references some of the issues raised in this novel. Money laundering is a truly global challenge. The estimated amount of money laundered globally in one year is 2 - 5% of global GDP, or US$800 billion - US$2 trillion in current dollars. Due to the clandestine nature of money laundering, it is difficult to estimate the total amount of money that goes through the laundering cycle. The Group of Seven (G7) nations used the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering to put pressure on governments around the world to increase surveillance and monitoring of financial transactions and share this information between countries. Starting in 2002, governments worldwide upgraded money laundering laws and surveillance and monitoring systems of financial transactions. Anti-money laundering regulations have become a much larger burden for financial institutions and enforcement has stepped up significantly. The Financial Action Task Force (on Money Laundering) (FATF), with members from thirty-seven countries, has been active since 1987 and Britain has been a key player. Bill Bryson did live in Kirby Malham but left to return to the United States in 1996 - three years before his appearance here.
