Product Description

1291 AD, Acre. As the city burns under the onslaught of the Sultan's men, the Falcon Temple sets sail, carrying a small band of knights and a mysterious chest entrusted to them by the Order's Grand Master. But the ship vanishes without a trace... Present day New York. At the Metropolitan Museum, four horsemen dressed as Knights Templar storm the gala opening of an exhibition of Vatican treasures and, in a brutal and bloody attack, steal an arcane medieval decoder. For FBI agent Sean Reilly and archaeologist Tess Chaykin this is just the start of a deadly game of cat and mouse as they race across three continents in search of the ruthless killers - and a centuries-old mystery...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #146819 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 388 pages

Review
'All the makings of a blockbuster here, in the book charts and on the screen.' SUNDAY SPORT 'fascinating... vivid and poignant' REVIEWING THE EVIDENCE 'brilliant plotting... fast-paced fascinating... thought provoking, and the journey, both physical and emotional, undertaken by the main protagonists in discovering it is truly page-turning stuff. CRIMESQUAD 'a good fast read that will make an afternoon in front of the fire fly by' DEADLY PLEASURES

Synopsis
Acre, 1291: as the burning city falls to the Sultan's men, a lone galley escapes out to sea, carrying the young Templar Knight Martin of Carmaux, his mentor Aimard of Villiers, and a mysterious chest entrusted to them by the Order's dying Grand Master. Present day, Manhattan: Four masked horsemen, dressed as Templar Knights, emerge from Central Park and ride up to the Metropolitan Museum. They don't stop at the steps, but steer the horses through the crowds gathered for the gala opening of a major exhibition of Vatican treasures and storm into the museum, scattering the great and the good of Manhattan society. Caught in the brutal mayhem, archaeologist Tess Chaykin watches in silent terror as the leader of the horsemen homes in on one piece in particular, a strange geared device. He utters a few cryptic Latin words as he takes hold of it with reverence before leading the horsemen out and disappearing into the urban nightscape of Manhattan. The FBI's investigation team is led by Sean Reilly, an anti-terrorist specialist as well as a practising Catholic, aided by his longtime partner Nick Aparo and a Vatican envoy, the monsignor De Angelis.

As the horsemen's dead bodies start turning up, and the importance of the stolen device becomes ever more apparent, Tess becomes more than a witness to the event. She and Reilly are drawn into the dark, hidden history of the crusading Knights, and of the last surviving Templars' fateful journey from Acre to the pyres of Paris. They're soon facing the deadly forces battling to recover the lost secret of the Templars, and find themselves propelled into a dangerous adventure which takes them through the cemeteries and sewers of Manhattan, across continents to desolate Turkish mountains and remote Greek islands, through a Mediterranean storm of biblical proportions and into the very heart of the Vatican. With Tess fuelled by an unswerving commitment to scientific truth, the archaeologist and the FBI agent's nascent relationship comes under intense pressure, as with each disturbing revelation relating to the Templars' long lost legacy, Reilly is plunged deeper into a spiritual and professional conflict which ultimately leaves them with the troubling burden of their shocking discovery.

About the Author
Raymond Khoury is a screenwriter of international renown, whose current credits include the BBC's highly successful spy drama, SPOOKS and WAKING THE DEAD.

Customer Reviews

strange book
This is a strange book. First, it is nowhere near as badly written as some reviewers say - it is ok on that front. Second, the plot is really gripping ... then he just gives some critical piece of information around the middle of the book, which for me killed the whole suspense. It was a drag to finish it and he managed to create a huge anti-climax in a few pages at the end, amazing. A real waste, this could have been a major thriller, the premise being quite good. So yes it gave me a good time hence the three stars but not full satisfaction.

some secrets are best left unsaid
The last templar had a mission and a secret that could change the world what we thought was there two thousand years ago. The team of an FBI agent, Reilly and Tess the archeologist - trying to find the path of the templar leading them to the Mediterranean (Turkey and Greece). Togather with other searchers Vance (a professor) who wanted some much to expose the secrets and a priest who wanted so much to protect the secrets.

I do not think this is a brilliant attempt by the author, but is a great story with end to end stuff that keep things going right to the end. I am sure there is alot of ways to end a story, maybe RK should have added more twist and turn so that it will not be too predictable to the end.

I give this 4 Star and looking forward to reading his Sanctuary.

Entertaining bit of no-brain thriller action
This is a great, exicting and fun thriller! I was drawn to it because of the crazy opening scene, where we see 4 men in full armour on horseback rob New York's Metropolitan Museum! They steal an arcane medeval artifact...but for what purpose? Why leave all the valuable art and jewels? Its up to the good old FBI to find out! Agent Sean and archaeologist Tess are on the case, chasing the artifact and its secret across the world! A thriller with the Knights templar, a hidden ship, codes and secret documents and yet another religious conspiracy! And of course, its obviously all true.....not really but i'm sure someone will take it as gospel. No pun intended, heh you will have to read it! Great! Don't expect anything highbrow, this does exactly what it says on the tin...