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Rosicrucian Quartet #1
Temple of the Grail
Heresy, Hypocrisy, Murder... France, 1254 High on a mountain in the Pyrenees, the monastery of St Lazarus is a forbidding place. Behind its ramparts and battlements heretical acts are said to take place and there is the rumour of a secret - a secret so dangerous that its keepers will kill to keep it hidden. At the end of a bitter winter, a delegation headed by the ambitious Inquisitor Rainiero Sacconi arrives to investigate the monks of St Lazarus. Andre, a Knight of the Templar Order, and his young scribe, Christian de St Armand, have been sent by the King of France to oversee the investigation. When monks begin to die, one by one, under strange circumstances, Andre and Christian try to unravel the mystery while being hampered at every turn by the inquisitor. By the time they stumble upon the secret of St Lazarus hypocrisy and violence will be exposed. And for Andre and Christian it will turn into a fight, not only for their lives, but also for their souls.
Paperback
First published January 2, 2004
About the author
Adriana Koulias
15 books41 followersAdriana Koulias is the author of three novels: Temple of the Grail, The Seal and The Sixth Key.
She was born in 1960 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the age of nine her family moved to Australia. She travelled extensively throughout her youth and was fifteen before finally settling down in a small country town outside Coffs Harbour.
She has been a nurse, a singer songwriter, a professional artist, has studied history and philosophy and began writing her first book Temple of the Grail in 1995.
Adriana now lectures regularly on History, Philosophy and Esoteric Science.
Adriana' latest book THE SIXTH KEY has been nominated for both the Davitt and Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Fiction.
She was born in 1960 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the age of nine her family moved to Australia. She travelled extensively throughout her youth and was fifteen before finally settling down in a small country town outside Coffs Harbour.
She has been a nurse, a singer songwriter, a professional artist, has studied history and philosophy and began writing her first book Temple of the Grail in 1995.
Adriana now lectures regularly on History, Philosophy and Esoteric Science.
Adriana' latest book THE SIXTH KEY has been nominated for both the Davitt and Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 14, 2013
You can buy this kindle book right now for $2.99 at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ARV8P0Y
December 11, 2019
More and more I find I agonize over rating my good reads. The "Temple of the Grail" is a prime example. For over the first half of this book, I was thinking this is a solid four stars, as it was really enjoyable. It had: interesting characters, an engaging mystery, suspense and a feel for the late Middle Ages. Adriana Koulias can definitely write. Things were moving along quite nicely with a few digressions and convoluted scenes, especially the dreams. However, nothing that would have changed my initial prediction.
Then just past the 300th page, things started to not only slow down but became meandering. The killer was disclosed, but that was neither satisfying or that interesting. Perhaps that's realistic, but it impacted my enjoyment. The very end with the separation of our two protagonist was well done. Overall, I wanted to give it four stars for what the author attempted to do and almost succeeded. Ms Koulais is a much better writer than I could ever be, but my advice is to cut,, or cut down on some of the more wordy and tangled parts. Maybe 10 to 12 thousand words less and this book is a lot more streamlined and readable.
I still plan on buying and reading the rest of this series. I enjoyed it that much, but when compared to other historic mystery thrillers like "Dark Matter" by Philip Kerr or "The Tournament" by Matthew Reilly, it falls a little short.
Then just past the 300th page, things started to not only slow down but became meandering. The killer was disclosed, but that was neither satisfying or that interesting. Perhaps that's realistic, but it impacted my enjoyment. The very end with the separation of our two protagonist was well done. Overall, I wanted to give it four stars for what the author attempted to do and almost succeeded. Ms Koulais is a much better writer than I could ever be, but my advice is to cut,, or cut down on some of the more wordy and tangled parts. Maybe 10 to 12 thousand words less and this book is a lot more streamlined and readable.
I still plan on buying and reading the rest of this series. I enjoyed it that much, but when compared to other historic mystery thrillers like "Dark Matter" by Philip Kerr or "The Tournament" by Matthew Reilly, it falls a little short.
March 1, 2013
Templars + Cathars + France + 13th century
This should be a winning combination but this book falls short.
No sex
This should be a winning combination but this book falls short.
No sex
May 28, 2023
La brutta copia de Il nome della Rosa.
February 6, 2018
France, 1254 and to the monastery of St Lazarus Inquisitor Rainiero Sacconir has arrived. Andre, Knight Templar and his scribe, Christian de St Armand, have been sent by the King of France to report to him the findings. Very soon a monk dies and Andre discovers he is not the first. What secrets are the monks hiding.
An interesting story and characters, but at times the pace was slowed down by the religious debates.
An interesting story and characters, but at times the pace was slowed down by the religious debates.
February 8, 2021
I did like this book but while reading, its similarity to The Name of the Rose just could not be ignored. Almost every aspect of this book appeared to have been culled from Umberto Eco's great work. One might be generous and call this homage, or cynical and call it plagiarism. I know which I think it is.
May 11, 2017
Ah... very corny. Both the story and narration were awkward and at times portrayed more as a children's book. Ok yo read to kids but not that entertaining for an adult
November 8, 2018
This was a great read.
February 26, 2019
Have read before, not my style, DNF
September 29, 2024
A book with a little difference leaning heavily into the religious mystery and its historical implications. Not an easy read in places due to its language but enjoyable with a satisfying conclusion
September 10, 2025
This book is long-winded and, frankly, boring. I did not finish it, which is rare for me.
March 12, 2017
I listened to an Audio book. The reader used several dialects and accents that made understanding the words difficult.
The story seem a bit formulaic and predictable.
The story seem a bit formulaic and predictable.
February 20, 2014
An ephemeral foundation
Some live life as voyeurs, intimately parsing each imagined act until they believe they have experienced and yet; they have no anchor in reality. It is from these musings that the drama of monastic life unfolds. No wonder this life was, and to a lesser degree still is, a tangle of ritual, rumor, superstition, and petty intrigue. The catalyst here is the Inquisition. The presence of the petty self righteous individuals who hold your soul, your life, and your peaceful death, in their whimsical hands, haunted the unstable. This is a great setting for mystery and historical reinterpretation. Although I found the pace of the story was slow to a fault, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was well written, scholasticaly researched, and imaginatively told. As a former resident of a monastery, I revisited the protective isolationism, spiritual peace, personal sacrifice, and disdain for every intrusive event. The candid insight in the minds and mannerisms of the sacrificial religious is reason enough to value this book. The twisted plot and characters are an added bonus.
Some live life as voyeurs, intimately parsing each imagined act until they believe they have experienced and yet; they have no anchor in reality. It is from these musings that the drama of monastic life unfolds. No wonder this life was, and to a lesser degree still is, a tangle of ritual, rumor, superstition, and petty intrigue. The catalyst here is the Inquisition. The presence of the petty self righteous individuals who hold your soul, your life, and your peaceful death, in their whimsical hands, haunted the unstable. This is a great setting for mystery and historical reinterpretation. Although I found the pace of the story was slow to a fault, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was well written, scholasticaly researched, and imaginatively told. As a former resident of a monastery, I revisited the protective isolationism, spiritual peace, personal sacrifice, and disdain for every intrusive event. The candid insight in the minds and mannerisms of the sacrificial religious is reason enough to value this book. The twisted plot and characters are an added bonus.
July 25, 2014
Templars. Cathars. Inqusition. 1254 France and an out of the way monastery is the background to this esoteric historical novel. The tale grabs you right at the beginning and you are led on a dangerous and spiritual path to discover the truth hidden within the walls of St. Lazarus Monastery located in the Pyrenees. You will enjoy reading the story of Andre, a Templar prefector and physician, his squire, Christian, and his friend, a Jew, Eisik, as they search the monastery and find themselves questioning the role of knowledge, wisdom, hypocrisy, faith, and evil. A wonderful story and a tale which promotes thoughts and questions as you move through the monastery to discover truth. Read it and find yourself within the walls of St. Lazarus searching for truth or submitting to superstition for the inquisition of 1254 could always be brought forth today....
December 2, 2013
Temple of The Grail had a very good story line but somehow lost it in the writing. The plot was an interesting combination of the Cathars, Knights Templar, murder, and the inquisition. It would be really moving along at a good pace to a perceived mini-climax and the author would stop for a few pages of overly descriptive dreams or musings. I ended up with the feeling that a great story would have been a few thousand words shorter.
September 13, 2015
The use of language in the writing here is spectacular, the characters are compelling, and the plot is very effective. The only reason I don't give it five stars is that there is too much dream sequence and some "overwriting" of internal dialogue. At least I call it over-writing - historical fiction is not my usual fare and both the things that are cons for me may be pros for others.
July 10, 2008
I got bogged down in the heavy descriptions in this book, and overly bored so stopped about a quarter of the way through. Possibly before anything really exciting happened but I couldn't make it any further.
July 22, 2014
Because I have always been interested in history, I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of The Order of the Rose (Eco). This book is the first of a four-part series titled the Rosicrucian Quater. I've already finished the second book in the series and will begin the third soon. Highly recommended.
April 24, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. However, it was very deep with details into the faith and beliefs of the early church, and unless you are interested in the alternative views that existed at the time (Templar, Coptic, Cathar, Masonic, etc.) you would not enjoy it.
July 19, 2013
Didnt get past the opening chapters, couldnt engage with the writers style. Had the sequels ready but didnt bother reading.
April 16, 2015
This book was hard to get into, but once the clues to the mystery started appearing, my interest in the story took off!
May 28, 2014
It was a long read for the story and a little convoluted at times. But the storyline was interesting and the characters entertaining.
August 13, 2014
Loved the 13th century monastery setting and the esoteric dimension.
January 5, 2015
Well written
Reminds me of "the name of the rose". Somewhat confusing but at the same time enlightening. Definitely worth reading in a meditative locale.
Reminds me of "the name of the rose". Somewhat confusing but at the same time enlightening. Definitely worth reading in a meditative locale.
August 5, 2012
Not much. Too heavy. Didn't enjoy it and found it hard to get into.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews