Paul Vallely wrote the popular and accessible biography Pope Francis: Untying the Knots. (See our review, Author makes case for Bergoglio's conversion. He has an op-ed piece in the June 14, 2014, print issue of The International New York Times and is online here: Cleaning Up the Vatican. I highly recommend it.
Here’s a taste:
It looked extremely dramatic when Pope Francis fired the entire board of the Vatican’s financial watchdog last week. But that was only the half of it. The seismic changes that are underway behind the scenes in Rome are even more radical than public appearances suggest. And they offer illuminating insights into the steely character of the man who likes to present himself to the world as a model of smiling humility. …