1 of 3

Write now Article Tools

The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry explores yet another possibility of the contents of the supposed treasure discovered by the Templars when fighting the Holy Wars during the Middle Ages. This is a fast paced read that keeps one riveted to the plot throughout the 482 pages of the book. The first chapter of the book gives the impression that it is set in the Middle Ages at the time of the execution of the Jacques Malay, the Grand Master of the Templar Order. However, the next chapter reveals that the main characters of the book are Cotton Malone, a retired FBI agent and his ex-boss, Stephanie Nelle. Cotton is living happily in Copenhagen where he owns an antiquarian bookstore. Quite out of the blue he receives a message from Stephanie that she is in Copehagen and would like to meet him.

Stephanie's husband, who has been dead for some time and from whom she was estranged, was a writer that focused his attention on finding the lost treasure of the Templars. Cotton foils what looks to be an ordinary mugging of Stephanie and when the villain jumps to his death, he realizes that there is much more to this than meets the eye. He decides to follow Stephanie just to make sure she is safe, but also because he is curious about what has brought her to Denmark at this time. Through the action of the book in which it is revealed that the Templars are alive and well, the reader comes to realize that there is an extremist faction within this order that borders on terrorism.

The reader learns the legends associated with the Templar treasure and follows Malone and Stephanie through several villages in France as they try to unravel a mystery that was partially uncovered by Stephanie's late husband who was obsessed with finding this treasure. There are all kinds of surprises in store for the reader with furtive characters trying to kill them, the re-emergence of Stephanie's son, Mark, whom she believed to have been dead and the final surprise of the extent of the treasure.

The action in the book is one that will keep readers turning the pages to the very end, even though some of it may seem to be far-fetched. What makes this book interesting is the theories of the Bible and Christianity that Berry puts forth. He suggests that the last three books of the Bible were written in Greece several centuries after the death of Christ. He points out the fallacies in the accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection and makes the reader aware of the discrepancies between the writings of the four gospels. He also discusses the Gnostic Gospels that have not been made part of the King James version of the Bible and offers suggestions for this exemption.

The end result of the storyline is one that could rock the foundations of Christianity showing that Berry is perhaps the greatest storyteller of all time. Yet, it does leave doubts in the mind of the reader. The excerpt from the Florida Times-Union on the cover of the book sums up the plot quite well - "Exciting..... hard to put down without reading one more page."

Learn more about this author, Frances Stanford.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Book reviews: The Templar Legacy, by Steve Berry?
We want to hear your view. Write now!