Written with both passion and precision, God's Spies is a work that will be welcomed by anyone interested in the vital interplay between poetry and religion. The authors represented, including poets such as Michelangelo, St Francis of Assisi, Charles Péguy, Dante and Shakespeare, all possess one great and surprising quality in common: audacity. All of them in their work offer fresh and unforeseen perspectives on life and literature. Some of these authors are religious in the strict meaning of the word, their work indicating a devout turning away from the distractions of the world to focus on God. Others, in contrast, are poets whose work is distinguished by a remarkable visionary focus on the many small and great dramas of life, attending with bright, imaginative genius to what Shakespeare calls 'the mystery of things'. God's Spies was exactly the book I had long been craving. Paul Murray has written a brilliant, cosmopolitan, and compelling study of the visionary tradition in Western literature that left me joyous and grateful. I found something to ponder and admire on nearly every page as he explored the spiritual imagination of Shakespeare, Dante, Michelangelo, St. Francis, and other visionaries. God's Spies is immensely learned but also so lucid and well-paced as to be irresistible. It is thrilling to read literary criticism so full of both intellectual and spiritual energy.