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White Hart #1

The Crown Jewels Conspiracy: Book one in the gripping action-packed covert ops historical thriller series

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NEW RELEASE - THE LOST CROWNS (THE WHITE HART #5) - OUT NOW

The explosive series from the International Bestselling Author of The Templar Agenda and The Cortés Trilogy . . .

In Medieval England, the defence of the realm in times of need rested on the shoulders of twelve men – a secret brotherhood of knights who answered only to the king and queen . . .

They were called The White Hart . . .

As they are now . . .

FROM THE BACK PAGE

In the hot late summer of 1666, a strange document is delivered to the King of England. The writing predicts a grand fireworks display will soon occur, culminating in a pure body of flame higher than St Paul’s.

A week later, as the City of London burns to the ground, the hunt is on for its mysterious sender.

Present day: When flames are spotted inside a modern building in Pudding Lane on the anniversary of the Great Fire, few expect the worst terror attack in living memory. But when information reaches the Prime Minister of a second fire spreading in Edinburgh and a break-in at the Tower of London, it isn’t long before chaos ensues.

For White Hart agents Mike Hansen and Kit Masterson, the attacks are just the start of a bizarre sequence of events that threaten to put the present and past on a collision course. A forgotten foe has resurfaced, their ancient threat being carried out. Armed with the latest technology and cryptic clues from England’s dark past, they have no choice but to tackle the threat head-on. If successful, they could yet save both cities from certain destruction.

But only by uncovering one of history’s best-kept secrets can they prevent the past from repeating itself!

The White Hart Series:
These books can be read in any order. Chronologically, the recommended order is:
The Bordeaux Connection (A White Hart Prequel)
The Crown Jewels Conspiracy (The White Hart #1)
The Rosicrucian Prophecy (The White Hart #2)
The Excalibur Code (The White Hart #3)
The Merlin Stone (The White Hart #4)
The Lost Crowns (The White Hart #5)

Praise for JPD!

Can’t wait for the new one . . .
Richard Doetsch, international bestselling author of The Thieves of Heaven

If John Paul Davis wrote the phonebook, we’d all be reading it!
Keith Houghton, #1 bestselling thriller author

Takes you on a fast-paced, thoroughly researched thrill ride . . .
David Leadbeater, #1 bestselling thriller author and winner of the Amazon Storytelling Award

. . . fascinating, action-packed thriller melding past, present and future.
Karen Perkins, international bestselling thriller author and winner of the silver medal for European Fiction in the 2015 Independent Publisher Book Awards

John Paul Davis clearly owns the genre of historical thrillers!
Steven Sora, author of The Lost Colony of the Templars

. . . well-researched, original and fascinating . . .
Graham Phillips, international bestselling non-fiction author

Prepare for the most fascinating read you’ll get in ages
The Birmingham Post

636 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2017

239 people are currently reading
81 people want to read

About the author

John Paul Davis

32 books69 followers

📚 John Paul Davis is the international bestselling author of fourteen thriller novels. His debut, The Templar Agenda, cracked the UK Top 20 and claimed the #1 spot in Historical Thrillers. Since then, he has continued to keep readers on the edge of their seats, with hits like The Cortés Trilogy, which reached the UK Top 40 and US Top 20, and the White Hart series, starring a secret black ops group with origins dating back to the Middle Ages.

🖊 In addition to thrillers, JPD has authored seven works of nonfiction. His debut work, Robin Hood: The Unknown Templar, sparked international press interest, while Pity For The Guy, the first full-length biography of Guy Fawkes, was featured on ITV’s The Alan Titchmarsh Show.

🏠 JPD is an active member of International Thriller Writers (ITW) and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He holds a BSc from Loughborough University and resides in Warwickshire, where he enjoys sports, history, reading, contemplating the meaning of life, planning book-related travels and pondering plot twists.

Checkout his official Website: www.johnpauldavis.com

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5 stars
85 (40%)
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64 (30%)
3 stars
41 (19%)
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13 (6%)
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5 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Michael Bully.
344 reviews4 followers
August 2, 2020
This is the second John Paul Davis novel I have read, after discovering his biography of Henry III. Took me a while to get into the novel, an action thriller set in the 2010' s combined with a different political establishment and alternative monarchy . Who are facing an elaborate and dangerous conspiracy motivated by a band of royalist renegades who claim to be supporting the true heir to the throne.
There is a traditional masculine hero and a modern thinking adventurous female companion. Plenty of History talk in between shoot outs with their opponents- who are set to re-create the Fire of London of 1666 and steal the Crown Jewels after taking hostages at the Tower, as the city burns. Similar outrages are taking place in Paris and Edinburgh.
A great deal of the action takes place in the Tower of London, with the lead characters going from building to building within the Tower complex, finding various hidden places, tunnels and passages.
The strength of the book is that tension is maintained. The historical references and symbolism connect the reign of Edward II, and also the theories, widely believed in 1666, that the Fire of London was started deliberately. Won't elaborate so as to avoid spoilers. And there is useful section at the end of the book, giving the historical background , and advising which elements have been added by the author's imagination.
The only thing I didn't like was that the body count got a bit too high for two individuals facing such massive odds. But that's just a minor point.
Profile Image for gillian.
105 reviews1 follower
April 13, 2021
I read the Cortes Trilogy two years ago, and forgot about this author until recently and found the White Hart books. I have since read all of his fiction books and he is now one of my favourite authors. I presume he spends a lot of time researching for his books as the detail is amazing and his own offering of twists to the truth makes his books so appealing and interesting. After reading any of his novels I spend time in my own research so I end up enjoying a good book and learning some history on the way.
Profile Image for Guy Lawfull.
27 reviews
February 15, 2021
A riveting and fast-paced read with most of the action taking place over a very short time period.

The characters are very engaging and well developed, with the interaction between them coming across as very natural, given their respective situations. Tension is high throughout, with each resolution quickly moving on to the next danger.

Really enjoyed it and looking forward to reading more from this author.
Profile Image for Elaine Thomas.
52 reviews2 followers
March 15, 2020
Great book

First found this author with The Templar Agenda so thought I’d try this one. Definitely didn’t disappoint, lots of action, interesting and believable characters and events. Would recommend
35 reviews2 followers
July 13, 2020
Great Read!!!

John Paul Davis is one of the best writers I have read. Recommend highly. Book is imaginative, informative and exciting. In addition, you really wonder how much of it is actually fiction....
Profile Image for Jillian.
1 review
January 29, 2018
Loved this book kept me enthralled from start to finish
2 reviews1 follower
May 12, 2019
Great read

Unbelievable best book I've read in ages! There better be more to come, being on the white hearts. Thanks John Paul Davis
Profile Image for Matt Shafer.
30 reviews2 followers
March 6, 2020
I just couldn't

I really wanted to like this story and to become attached to the characters but I just couldn't. This reads like a weird combination of Vince Flynn and Dan Brown, but not in a good way. Davis tries to blend historical conspiracy with modern combat and just barely misses on both. The action is passe and I never felt any sort of great stakes in the historical conspiracy premise. I admit , though, that as an American reader I'm not terribly invested in the lineage and line of succession of British royalty; perhaps it has more gravitas for British readers than for me.

It is entirely possible that I jumped into a universe of shared characters and I'm unaware of it, and I think that's my biggest gripe. This feels like I'm supposed to know who all of the characters mentioned already are and how they work with each other. If this is the case then I'm even more disappointed because this book has been marketed as a standalone beginning to a trilogy.

Unfortunately the book got too clunky for me and I decided that I just couldn't finish it. Nothing in it really held my interest and I wound up realizing that I just didn't care what happened in it because I had zero investment in the characters or the overarching plot. It's a shame because Davis writes smoothly and easily. His technique is golden but the subject matter isn't.
122 reviews2 followers
August 29, 2025
Nice Bedtime Read

I enjoyed this book and the mention of many sites around London that l have visited. Liked the description of Mike's trials to become a White Hart. The story was entertaining but l did find that it is a book l could leave and come back too days later therefor taking me sometime to finish it which makes me feel it was a bit long. I will read the next White Hart book and decide then if it is a series that l will follow
769 reviews2 followers
September 11, 2025
Didn't finish this book. I love historical fiction, so thought this would be a good book to read. The story seemed more than interesting, but I soon began to get bogged down in all the historical detail. The information was a necessary part of the narrative, but, for me, there would be some action, then there'd be a pause for more 'let's pause for another history lesson'. I don't know how the pertinent facts could have been put forward in a shorter form and still be relevant to the story.
31 reviews
Read
September 13, 2019
Interesting well written

A good read that kept you wanting to find what happened next. A bit far fetched, but enjoyable. A book that makes you want to visit the Tower!
48 reviews1 follower
August 11, 2024
great read

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I love the action, the story and love anything to do with history
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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