The Templar Heresy

Chris Bronson #7

by James Becker (Pseudonym), Peter Stuart Smith

An extraordinary discovery. An ancient mystery. An unputdownable conspiracy thriller
Chris Bronson is looking forward to catching up with his old friend Angela unearthing ancient treasures on an archaeological dig in the Iraqi desert.

But they are met with a scene of bloody devastation, Angela's colleagues killed and a recent discovery defaced.

Their only clue is an incomplete inscription which holds the key to a centuries-old secret, one that they must uncover if they want to survive. Pursued by faceless assassins, the race is on for the last piece of the puzzle, one that will mean the difference between life and death…
Fans of Clive Cussler, Chris Kuzneski and Steve Berry will love The Templar Heresy .

Genres: Thriller, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Mystery, Action, Mystery Thriller

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2017

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

After some delays to work on writing projects with some shared themes, James Becker is back with another Chris Bronson thriller. Tapping into Christian history and the symbols that have emerged through the ages, Becker entertains readers with this story while adding the thrill of the chase as two sides fight over the interpretation. Seeking a little excitement during his holidays, Chris Bronson accepts an invitation from ex-wife and best friend, Angela Lewis to join him on her latest archeological dig. He makes his way to Kuwait and is met at the airport, where Angela and fellow archeologist Stephen Taverner fill him in on their latest discovery. While out in the deserts of Iraq, they have come across some temple that has odd inscriptions on its walls. Bronson, always one to enjoy a mystery, agrees to come see them to determine if he can crack the code. However, as they return to camp, all that is left are a slew of dead archeologists, their bodies slaughtered and baking in the desert sun. The inscriptions have been chipped out of the walls, which only adds to the mystery. After deciding to flee the region and report what has happened when they are safely in the United Kingdom, Bronson leads the group back towards Kuwait. However, a band of thugs seems more than happy to exterminate them before they can reach their destination. Dodging bullets and trying to reach safety, Bronson, Angela, and Stephen are able to catch numerous last-minute flights around the Middle East before landing in Milan. From there, it is a simple trip to London and they will be safe. However, after splitting up from Stephen, Bronson and Angela learn that the thugs are still targeting them, having killed Stephen and left him for dead. Now, all eyes turn to these inscriptions, which Angela was smart enough to capture digitally during the excavation. As they begin to study the words and apply a few ciphers, there appears to be a larger mystery, one that includes (of course!) the Knights Templar. From here, Angela and Bronson must dodge the thugs as the race to uncover the mystery kicks into high gear. What the Templars may have discovered centuries ago remains highly thrilling even now. Bronson and Angela just may not live long enough to uncover the mystery for themselves. A decent story for series fans who have been waiting a while for the next instalment, complete with some seemingly sacrilegious speculations. There is even enough Templar flavour in the second half of the novel to appeal to thrill seekers who enjoy something a little more methodical.

I have long been a fan of Becker and his work, having followed Chris Bronson through many an adventure. I will admit, though, that this novel seemed to lack some of the punch that I remembered from past stories in the series. During the Bronson reprieve, I have been following Becker as he delves into a Templar-based series and find the calibre of writing in this novel lacking significantly from those Templar stories, published as late as fall 2016. While Chris Bronson and Angela Lewis remain strong characters, it is as though the ‘cookie cutter’ race to solve a mystery was used here, allowing for no character development as individuals or jointly in their current platonic relationship. How Becker could have forgotten to add at least some fond memories his protagonists share baffles me, as they are forced to work so closely at hand. The thug characters continue to fuel the current “terrorist du jour” mentality, by tossing around ISIS images, though to some degree there is a sensical nature to the Muslim evildoer in this piece, which the reader understands better when they read the book. The plot is decent, though it is by no means original, either in Becker’s world or those authors who write about uncovering Templar secrets. I must comment here that the story, while fiction, could have been firmly rooted in reality, though I found the constant “let me just buy more airline tickets, hotels, and anything we need” highly unrealistic. Bronson comes across as being flush with cash and able to simply pull out the large sums of money while on the run. Again, I may be nitpicking, but this is my review and I can address issues that came to mind throughout the reading. All in all, a decent read, but surely not one of Becket’s best. I hope this was simply an aberration.

Kudos, Mr. Becker for another Bronson-Lewis adventure. I know you have a Templar book soon to be released and hope you can use your successes there and allow them to return to this series in short order.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Rosalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

As per usual a good read that really flows and gives good information and a wonderful way to get a history lesson

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible Editing Made This Painful to Read

I have never read a more poorly-edited book as The Templar Heresy. James Becker should be ashamed to have his name associated with this monstrosity of errors. The first few pages got me so irritated that I decided to keep track of the spelling, grammar, and writing errors I found. In the first 100 pages, I found 129 errors. It was so obvious that either no one edited this manuscript, or if someone did, they should be banned from the publishing business. And sadly, because of the horrendous editing, Mr. Becker looks like a second ... no, tenth-rate writer. Overall, the book is very tedious to read because there are long, long paragraphs that try to provide far too much information. And he has dialogue where one speaker drones on and on and on, attempting to provide background information; but it is way too much. Then compounding the terrible conversations between characters is the fact that the dialogue switches from one character to another and then back to the other character, sometimes 5-6 times, but it is all in one paragraph. So it is very hard to tell when a conversation moves from one character to another. Again ... terrible editing. And the ending happens way too fast. The author bored the reader with long, tiresome inaction through 250-plus pages, and then wraps things up in four pages. I cannot recommend this book because it is an insult to anyone who enjoys reading. The only reason I finished it was because I was so angry for having invested my time, struggling with the book, I felt there was no other course of action but to grind it out.

[Joe Geesin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic and thrilling read, one that I found difficult to put down. Well written, the book is a good length to develop the story, which takes you across Iraq, Jordan and France, the story traces the connection between the Knights Templar and the Mandaeans, and would draw the question were they a Christian organisation even with the Papal significance. A good ending, the right level 0f limited open ends, and like all such books the theory is based in fact. As the author himself notes, his job is as a professional liar, but the research that's gone in to this makes the story all the better and believable. A good balance, a good read.

[Anthony Salvage · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was extremely disappointed with this book. Having read all of James Beckers' earlier books, I started this book with anticipation. Maybe due to the gap in reading his earlier works, and having read many authors in between, I was shocked at this book. Where was the action? Where was the thrill? Where was the page turning desire, of wondering what might be next? This book was an A to B to C! I will do this, then we will do that, and they will do this, and we will win! Becker has let himself down on this one, and for all those people who rate it a 5 star page turner, I think you need to look at different authors...there was not one twist, one shock, one turn, one surprise! It just was! After 2 hours of reading I realised I had just 10 pages left! Please Mr Becker, make me want to turn the next page, not through habit of reading, but because I really do not know what may be on that page! I give you a 2 purely because I like you, but you are being left behind by authors such as McDermott, Kuzneski, Mariani, Reilly and of course the grand master Cussler! In all, this was a very mediocre affair

[Sandy Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the most annoying books I've ever read.

Apparently there was a shortage of the letter 'f' as it was missing in so many places. The story itself was pretty generic for the genre....not as engrossing as it could have been. After a while the 'lying of the battle lag, petals of a lower, licking on the lights, booking of a light' etc. just added to the plodding story. There are just so many Templar books much better than this....

[Francesco Zerafa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not original at all. Bought the book because it stated on the front cover that “if you like Dan Brown, you’ll love James Becker”. Not even close!

The whole story is very mainstream with no originality whatsoever.

[Richard J Savoie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mediocre book

In all of my many years of reading novels, I have never seen as many spelling and typographical errors as in this book. I give it one star for writing and three stars for storytelling.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full of contradictions. I’m going everywhere with you no matter what. 2 pages on. I’m ditching you here because I’m scared. Just disappointed with this. This’ll be the last James Becker book I’ll be reading that’s for sure

[Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Templar Heresy” is the seventh entry in James Becker’s Chris Bronson series. It was touted as an extraordinary conspiracy thriller that doesn't let go, which sadly is a little hyperbolized. Although it was a good read, it did “let go” at times. Normally I tend to read series in order, but I just happened to have this novel (at a good price) so I read it any way. Without trying to make a joke (for once), the plot begins with a bang – literally; however, then it slowly weakens and meanders a bit. Still, the plot was good and the characters, especially our protagonist Chris Bronson and his archaeologist ex-wife Angela, were quite strong.

In “The Templar Heresy,” Bronson and his ex-wife Angela return to her dig site only to discover that the entire group of international archaeologists with whom she was working were all slaughtered. Their adventures continue as they follow clues through the Middle East and into France searching for clues that will lead them to a long lost Templar relic.

I can’t understand how a digital copy can be released with so many errors: misspellings, words left out that should have been, and someone apparently stole the letter “f” and never returned it. This was a “good” book – not a great book. I did like the main characters, so I will read another of this series in the future. There are certainly better Templar books out there, but this one is still good for a nice winter read by the fireplace.

[James Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first James Becker novel that I have read and although I gave it a nearly 4, and I will probably read more, I think it could have been slightly better. the plot was good and the characters, namely Chris Bronson and his archaeologist ex wife Angela, were quite strong. They had discovered the slaughter of all her colleagues at a dig and that certain inscriptions (which were related to the Templars) found at that dig had been stolen by fanatical thieves. Their lives in great danger they found themselves fleeing to Kuwait to Italy,where their friend Stephen was brutally murdered, and to France while at the same time trying to decipher the inscription and picking up further clues along the way. Although it sounds quite exciting stuff, many pages covered our heroes and also the villains discussing the clues and what they meant to the inscription and wether they were reading them correctly and what it all might lead them to. There were also many pointers to the histories of the Templars which in themselves were very informative but, with due respect, a bit overly done. This is where I lost the grip and found myself wandering off here and there. So yes, nearly 4.

[Kymberli Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit it: occasionally I love to read one of these over-the-top, "historical fantasies," complete with impossible action, and implausible protagonists. Having read several of Becker's earlier books, it was no stretch to read this one, especially as it was offered at a really good price :). However, this was easily the weakest of his books that I've read. "The Templar Heresy" just didn't quite make it. The basis of the plot didn't make sense in reference to what is known of the Templar's history, at least not in the religious aspect. And not the least of my complaints (which has nothing to do with the story itself): the Kindle edition is horribly "edited." Almost every beginning letter "f" is missing, leaving the reader to figure out what a word is; chapters are run together, without a header; and there are misspellings galore, again, resulting in words/sentences that make no sense.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting story, and I liked the cities it (virtually) took me to. Because of that I rated it highly, even though I was very disappointed with the editing. I bought the Kindle version, so I can't speak for other formats. The one I read had so many typos that it became annoying. Over several chapters most of the words starting with fl, such as flight, flash and flipped, for example, were spelled without the f. It's as if someone had ran an auto find and delete routine; so flight became light, flash became lash and flipped became lipped. Most of the instances that I recorded occurred between page 200 and 350, although I'm sure there were many prior to my becoming annoyed by it, and after the point where I got tired of recording them.

[Keith Beddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cracking Chris Bronson and Angela Lewis. Starting with a massacre of archaeologists in Iraq and following the trail of an inscription referring to John the Baptist. Action packed believable and well researched. We also encounter the legends and mythology of the Knights Templar moving from castles in Jordan to commanderies in the South of France. The main antagonist uses a world wide mesh of criminals to follow the heroic couple but his use of cell of Islamic fundamentalists terrorists as mercenaries is an excellent one. The plot moves well and is fast paced. Short chapters move the action on without the need for long linking sections which would inevitably slow it down. A brilliant book for all thriller fans.

[BeesReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a bit of a 'Dan Brown' type book. The main characters have appeared in other novels but I haven't read any of them (though the brief synopses look interesting).
Book starts with a ex-husband (police detective) /ex-wife (archaeologist) team getting together - something has been discovered in Iraq.
An attempt is made to cover it up but photos have got out. A pursuit across the globe including Jerusalem follows with secret encoded messages, templars, mandaeism (gnostics who still exist today who particularly revere John the Baptist) etc.
Enjoyable romp around, good 'bed book' but might keep you awake all night - just one more chapter.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't like it much
When his old friend, Angela, invites him out to her archaeological dig in the Iraqi desert, Chris Bronson is expecting a relaxing few days and an overdue catch-up. But when they arrive at the site they find her colleagues slaughtered and a recent discovery defaced.

An ancient mystery.

Their only clue is an incomplete inscription, which holds the key to uncovering the truth behind a centuries-old secret. With unknown assassins hot on their heels, Chris and Angela are forced into a desperate hunt across the globe for the final piece of the puzzle. And if they don’t find it first, the consequences could be fatal . . .

[Don M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was reasonably good, but the proofreaders must have been asleep. They missed dozens of typos and other errors. Throughout much of the book, whenever there is an “fl” letter combination, the “f” is missing. This means that “flights” becomes “lights” and “flashes” from a camera become “lashes”. The really strange one is how “rifles” become “riles”.

It’s a major annoyance reading a book with this many careless mistakes that should have never made it past the proof readers.

[Tom W · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love all things Templar, but I was really let down by the story. There are Templar nuggets sprinkled here and there, but most of the book just focused on the two main protagonists traveling from A to B.

In fact, many chapters spent more time discussing their actual travels rather than the story itself. The "bad guys" were so cookie cutter and idiotic that I had to roll my eyes.

The author is definitely talented, but I do not think I will be purchasing anymore books in this series.

[Chris Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good fast paced action thriller, very much in the vein of Dan Brown etc. An archaeological survey team is massacred in Kuwait and this kicks off a trip around the globe as the two sides try to decipher a series of Latin inscriptions.
A car chase through the desert and some small skirmishes at the different sites, all good gripping stuff with some real history and real Knights Templar sites thrown in. Might read more of this author.

[Paula Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 7 in the Chris Bronson series, The Templar Heresy is another hit for James Becker.

Angela is on a dig in Iraq and invites Chris to visit. While she is picking up Chris, the site is hit and everyone there is killed. Chris and Angela are next. The terrorists can't allow anyone to survive and tell about the itching in the cave.

Fast paced and well written.

[Laura Poppenwimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Bronson and his ex-wife Angela undertake a search after a group of archaeologists with whom she was working are slaughtered. Their adventures following clues through the middle east and finally into France leads to a long lost relic of the Templars. The story is nail biting excitement with danger at every corner. For fans of Templar lore, this is a very satisfying read.

[Rebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read

I thought this was a great read. It was fast paced and had plenty of action. I've always liked the stories regarding the Templars and this fact/fiction based story did not let me down. I would definitely recommend it to others. There were problems though with the digital copy. Misspellings, words left out that should have been.

[Philip Spick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story

I quite enjoy these historical mysteries. Yes, the discovery of clues hidden for centuries is rather convenient but James makes it more realistic than.most. His research and knowledge of artefacts is excellent and his two hero's are good characters. For a good read, well worth a try.

[Joe Corso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books about the Knights Templar and the Templar Heresy was a well thought out, well Iwritten and well researched book. If you are into books about the Templars then I suggest you read this book.

[Carmine Garritano · Rating 2 out of 5]

No Editing ! But somewhat well written.

The writing isn't bad however there is a constant annoyance throughout the book of a missing first letter "f" in many words. "Flash" is lash, flight is light etc. Really ?? Did the author have a virus on his laptop ??

[Dane McMillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional novel

Exceptional novel. Being accurate in both historical fact and the subject
Matter is part of this author's make up..I look forward to reading more of his work. Marvellous read recommended.

[David Devine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad of an adventure through the archaeological sites with murderous bad guys hot on the trail of the archaeologist ex-wife and her ex-husband trying to decipher the mysterious engraving found in a buried temple of the Iraqi desert.

[Bruce Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nicely done! Non-stop action from the preface to the end. Interesting plotline involving the Knights Templars and early Christians. The author's interpretation of history is very plausible. I'm glad I read this book and can't wait to read another Becker book.

[Sandra McIntier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. Much better I have to say than Dan Brown! I rather like this type of book. I would vote it the book of the moment if I could. Thanks, James Becker for keeping me on the edge of my seat.

[Amanda Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I struggled to get into this book