Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "middle-east"

A Falcon Flies by James Boschert

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Trouble comes at inopportune times. Just when all is going right for Sir Talon de Gilles, old charges of witchcraft resurface and he comes under close scrutiny by the Bishop in Acre and his henchman, Brother John. But Talon must leave his affairs in his friend Max’s capable hands, for Sir Guy de Veres requires his special talents. Salah ed Din, the Sultan of Egypt, has been too quiet, and Sir Guy fears what that silence might mean for the Templars and the king of Jerusalem in 1177. Additional peril comes from the Assassins of Rashid ed Din, who have been attacking Templar castles – a fact that Talon and Sir Guy experience firsthand when an assault comes from unexpected quarters. Talon’s suspicions help the Templars to gain the upper hand and capture several prisoners, one of whom reveals that Reza and Rav’an yet live.

News of his best friend and his heart’s true love rekindle hope. For six long years, Talon has feared both died soon after the Templars took him prisoner and shipped him back to his real family in France. He yearns to find Reza and Rav’an, but trouble intervenes once more when Salah ed Din’s true intent becomes known: he plans to attack the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Talon’s knowledge of the Egyptians proves invaluable, and his participation in the Battle of Montgisard gains him the edge he needs to be given special dispensation to leave the Templars and search for Reza and Rav’an. But the way to reunion is fraught with escalating perils that threaten to thwart him time and again. Then he hears that Rav’an is a sultan’s wife, her brother’s pawn in an alliance that promises only death if her secret becomes known.

From first page to last, A Falcon Flies keeps the reader spellbound with serpentine twists more numerous than coiled rope and more breathtaking than the plunges and climbs of a roller coaster. As always, Boschert introduces an array of intriguing and unique characters, not least of which is Talon’s servant, a young thief whom he rescues from death. Maps and translations are included to orient readers as they journey from Acre to Antioch, Jerusalem, Bagdad, and Isfahan. A Falcon Flies, the Fifth Book of Talon, is heart-stopping adventure not to be missed. It is also a journey of true love, where one man is willing to risk all to reunite with his beloved.




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