Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #197431 in Books
• Published on: 1995-11-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 375 pages

Synopsis
Paris, 1314. Pope Clement has destroyed the Order of Knights Templar, wrongly persuaded of their corruption. Watching through a veil of tears as his friends die at the stake, a surviving knight swears vengeance on their accusers. Two years later a charred body is found in a burned-out cottage.

Customer Reviews

Not a real mystery, not a real historical novel and a magical confession getting sleuth I want to kick!
Somehow I ended up with the eighth book in this series and never liking to start any series in the middle, I ordered the first few books. Having now read the first, I wish I had not.

"The Last Templar" is categorized as a mystery but in actuality it doesn't read like one at all. 1316 in Devon County England this seems to be a nice setting for a historical mystery- a quiet county where there isn't much crime but a lot of poverty. However there are so many problems with the plot, the premis and the characters that not only is there no mystery in the book but the other elements fall flat making reading this a bit like falling into a void.

Problem #1: the sleuth. Simon Puttock has just become bailiff of a castle. Apparently bailiff's function somewhat like sheriffs-which I didn't realize. So he is called upon to solve crimes and basically he asks bad questions and then decides that people sound like they're telling the truth and believes them. No evidence, no real sleuthing. This guy could confront a murderer- bloody knife in hand, standing over the body, and decide, based on a statement, that he "sounded like he believed what he saying was true" so he must be innocent (actually, at one point he basically does just that.) Ugh! The man would be everyone's favorite judge! Also, when the times come to solve the mystery he basically says: "Here's what happened!" and then explains the whole thing. Like a bad TV crime show. And then the villain confesses when they could have gotten off Scot free!

Problem #2: the mystery. This book has three different crimes, tied together by the use of fire in all three. A dead man in his house, who a local knight is convinced didn't die in the fire, an Abbott roasted on a stake in the woods after being captured on the road and a gang of bandits robbing and burning people on the road. To the first two crimes-there is a sight mystery but almost no evidence is gathered, nothing done to figure out. Basically he decides on the perp and they magically confess. The third crime is more of a chase to find said bandits with no clues beforehand to identity or anything because they're not from the district.

Problem #3: the setting. At the beginning of the book the magical bailiff Simon informs us there is practically no crime in the county. Yet this series goes on and on and on-so clearly there's like a massive crime boom at some point. Like all the serial killers and rapists and child molesters and burglars in England have a convention and say: "Hey! Let's move to Devon where the magical bailiff Simon Puttock will get us all to confess when he has no evidence!"

Problem #4: the whole Templar thing. It just doesn't play. So the new knight to the area was a Templar-so what? Why should I care? And I really don't think it justifies what happens with him in the book.

To sum up-not a good mystery, not good writing, the characters make me want to kick them. Unfortunately I own the next five books in the series. Maybe I'll read them, maybe not. First novels can be extraordinarily bad and subsequent ones can be ok. We'll see.

For now, two disappointed stars.

First Book in the Series
For those who have not read Michael Jecks, but like historical novels, particularly about medieval England, you are in for all real treat. I have read some of the other comments from reviewers and I am not sure what they are getting at. Mr. Jecks writes a good entertaining tale. I am sure he did not set out to write a classic, just a book that is a good read with a good plot.

In actual fact his books are very well researched and it would be churlish to criticise what was in fact his first novel when he was trying to put flesh on the bones of his leading characters and hone his writing style. This books is the start of the extremely popular Knights Templar Mysteries.

1314 and an ill-advised Pope and also the King of France are doing everything in their power to destroy the powerful Knights Templars, sacking their headquarters in Paris and burning the leading officials of the movement for heresy.

Sir Baldwin de Furnshill, a Templar, escapes and makes his way across the channel. His brother in England has died and the estate now belongs to Simon. He is careful to keep his past history secret but he has watched some of his friends die for no reason other than the whim of a Pope and he is determined to do anything and everything in his power to reap vengeance on their accusers.

Poor Writing, simplistic plot
It's amazing that there are more books to this series. This was far too long, very simple, mixed up morality-wise and jut plain poorly written and edited. Throwing in the occasional anachronism ( "five and twenty years old " ) doesn't make anything authentic. It's barely about the Templars either. Ignore it, or if absolutley necessary buy it second-hand.