Seven hundred years ago, in a time of war and betrayal, Europe’s greatest treasure disappeared. The men who guarded it vanished into history.
In Edinburgh today, former élite British Military Intelligence officer Sam Cameron has turned to the quieter world of archaeology. Together with young church minister Helen Johnson, he leads his students on a field trip. What they unearth raises exciting questions. What are the mystery objects? What is their connection to the Knights Templar?
But others are asking the same questions and the thrill of discovery is quickly clouded by the brutal killing of a retired church minister and a spreading rage of violence and death.
Now Helen and Sam must race to unravel an ancient mystery, find how it links to the murdered minister, and fend off a very modern threat. Failure will cost their lives and the lives of many more. Success will answer the greatest unresolved mystery of the medieval world.
D. C. Macey is an author and lecturer based in the United Kingdom.
A first career in the Merchant Navy saw Macey’s early working life devoted to travelling the globe. In the process, it gave him an introduction to the mad mix of beauty, kindness, cruelty and inequality that is the human experience everywhere. Between every frantic coastal encounter was a trip across the ocean, which brought the contrast of tranquil moments and offered time for reading, writing and reflection.
Those roving days came to a close, however, with Macey serving as a ship’s officer in the North Sea oil industry.
Several years working in business made it apparent that Macey’s greatest commercial skill was the ability to convert tenners into fivers, effortlessly and unerringly – a skill that ensured Macey had the unwelcome experience of encountering those darker aspects of life that lie beneath the veneer of our developed world and brought fleeting glimpses into the shadows where bad things lurk.
Eventually, life’s turbulence, domestic tragedy and impending poverty demanded a change of course. As a result, more recent years have been spent in the academic world lecturing and producing predominantly corporate media resources, the resultant stability allowing the time and opportunity to return to the written word.
In the current year, Macey has surrendered his lecturing role entirely, stepping away from academia to focus exclusively on his writing.
Former British Intelligence officer Sam Cameron is now based in Edinburgh in a completely different occupation - as an archaeologist. When a mysterious mediaeval artefact, thought to have originated with the Knights Templar, is stolen from a Museum he's keen to get involved in the hunt to retrieve it and unlock its secrets. Liaising with a young female church minister, Helen Johnson, the pair set to work in a plot worthy of Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. When a retired minister is violently murdered, the repercussions put increased pressure on Cameron and time is running out to reveal the long-hidden knowledge that could save not only themselves but many thousands more people. An excellent who-dunnit by D C Macey begins The Temple series and is a definite must for your mystery-thriller bookshelves. Get it today and then enjoy the following novels too, for maximum reading pleasure!
Once again the legend of the ancient order of the Templars rises to confound the present era. Is their old legacy of the past still being felt and pasted on to today's generation? If you are intrigued by the ancient legends it Templar legend of treasure, this is another looking what may have happened to their lost wealth..
This might appear to be Christian fiction, but happily, it isn't really. There is church history and such, and several of the main characters are actually Christian clergy. But, at least to me, it did not read as Christian fiction: preachers perhaps, but preaching, not.
I quite liked this one and plan to read the next three in succession. They probably could be counted as just one L O N G novel, but that would not help my annual Reading Challenge!
The plotting was tight, and little elements of the mystery were doled out with judicious pacing to ensure the book never much lagged. There was one section, maybe at the ~ 60% point -- where the author gave us a summary of the plot to that point, a type of exposition that is often poorly handled. Not here, though. I mean, yes, I did recognize that it was a plot summary, and the plot is intricate, but the exposition was well-handled and seemed entirely organic to the plight experienced by our main characters.
The writing was quite decent, too. I object mildly to having the main character, an American, spout British idioms -- perhaps an American editor (I volunteer!) could suss these out ahead of re-publication/'printing.' There were some odd word misusages, e.g., 'lent,' when 'leant' (or 'leaned') is meant, and 'nadir' to mean 'none' instead of 'lowest point.' Also, but not consistently, there were misplaced modifiers and failures to use the correct direct objects or the subjunctive case.
The story catches your attention slowly and then will not let you go. The characters are varied in age, background and personality. The villains have no redeeming features. The good guys are a complex bunch. The final wrap up was a little bit too rushed for my liking. Perhaps the fact that this is a series means doors have to be left open to develop further in the next installment. Will buy book two to find out. There are many stories developed on the basis of the Templars. This one works. I think you will enjoy it.
I have had this sitting in my wish list for over a year, why on earth did it take me so long to buy it? Thoroughly enjoyed this, the author draws you in from the word go and in my opinion you are hooked. A great mix of characters lots of action, intrigue and a continuous twisting story. It leaves you with a taste for more and I am hoping the next book in the series is a continuation.
I'm a sucker for anything Templar related and especially love mystery intrigue and adventure woven into a good story including the Templars and their history. Needless to say this book ticked all the boxes and I am hooked and ready to read all the books in this series. Cannot wait to find out where the author takes us with this several book tail
What a story, it grabbed you from the start and never let go. The plot unfolded in many directions and it was hard to put down. The characters were diverse, good and bad. The villans were terrifying and ruthless. The ending left many things unanswered and I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
Although the plot of this is quite good, it was not completely made for me. I enjoyed the treasure hunt-like scenes, the way some of the secrets were slowly revealed, but the violent scenes were pretty detailed and over the top. This might make sense to a degree, but it took away some of the reading fun for me. 4 out of 5 stars.
The Templars of course feature in many books but what made this one interesting was the location in Scotland and having the Presbyterian Church feature rather than the more usual Roman Catholic
A good story, running at a suitable pace to keep things interesting. Some nice puzzles, not the most cunning, but a good start. However, really quiet violent Nd graphic in places.
It misses the mark in so much of the true Templar legacy, And what happened to the other evil players. I’m a terrible reader But Too manny questions left unanswered. So this will be my last in this series. No book 2,3, er4 fer me.
I enjoyed learning about the work of an Anglican priest and the politics of the organization. I wish I knew more of the history of the Knights Templar to better understand the back story.
The theme and the characters caught my attention straight away and for the majority of the book I enjoyed but, whilst not considering myself a prude, I had difficulty understanding the for the grotesque violence and detailed description of such. Whilst this might have been applicable back in the days of the original Templars in todays age it all seemed a waste in the time period that the book was based. Sorry it was just to much such that I may read the remainder of the series