Review: Shadow Kingdom God's Banker
All eyes are on Vatican City as we approach Conclave. The death of Pope Francis may not have come as a shock, but the ripple around the world is poignant as people reflect. The Catholic Church holds an immense influence, but it almost feels like a mist as it is shrouded in layers and layers of history and secrecy. It's fascinating, enchanting, and if you threw together the keywords of "Vatican" and "mystery" you'll probably get me to download your podcast.
Notably, I don't review much "true crime". I make exceptions for interesting and timely stories. Shadow Kingdom God's Banker is one of them. A podcast from Crooked Media and Campside, it's an excellent production, and a surprisingly thoughtful story to dig into. However, as this is a story about death, there is some description of suicidal behavior, ideation, and general high-stakes financial crime anxieties. It is not graphic, but listeners take care.
Reporter and lawyer Niccolo Majnioni takes on a story that was becoming hazy with the passage of time. In 1982 Italian banker Roberto Calvi was found hanging from a bridge in London. Local police declared the death a suicide, but whispers and otherwise said it was murder. Why? Roberto Calvi was known as a banker with connections with the mafia, fascist groups, and Pope John Paul II. Calvi had such power in this corner of the world, that his death made international headlines. This podcast explores the life, world, and realities of Italy in the 1970s and 80s. It is fascinating, a mafia mystery, and an excellent reflection of why our not-too-distant history is just as important as our older roots.
This podcast is also, delightfully, a bi-lingual podcast. Many of the interviews were conducted in Italian, and therefore the team had actors read translations. If you are someone who can understand Italian, you can listen to all original interviews in Il Banchare Di Dio. The English production quality is excellent– this is a clear podcast with strong audio storytelling, and I expect the Italian version to be even better with the actual voices. It feels like a captivating newscast noir enough as it is. The depth of character with these interviews acted is incredible, and I know the originals would be better. If you know Italian, tell me if my suspicions are true.
I enjoyed this podcast because pulling the threads of this one man's life out, piece by piece, Majnioni does an excellent job of pulling back the curtain on the past. In the final episode he speaks about how working on this project gave him more of an appreciation of his parents' generation, and it gave me a fuller appreciation of recent Western history. I know from living in Spain that the shadows of fascism still crowd living memory, but I didn't realize how far its fingers stretch across Europe. Everyone knows the influences of the Catholic Church and branches of the Mafia to a degree - they are deeply entrenched in every corner of the world in one way or the other. Learning about this one instance has helped me reframe the idea that the past is closer than it may seem.
This is a great podcast for someone looking for a thoughtful mystery to follow, that isn't too much in the way of gruesome, but full of intrigue and suspense. The podcast is a completed, limited series that is eight episodes long. Episodes sit comfortably around 40 minutes and are excellently structured to take breaks as needed if it's too long for one sitting.
Listen to Shadow Kingdom God's Banker below.
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