Review and Giveaway: Red Templar

Red Templar (Templar - Book 6) by Paul Christopher


Publication Date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: Paperback, 379pp
ISBN-13: 978-0451236302

ISBN: 0451236300

(Received for an honest review from Signet)


Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound


Paul Christopher on the WEB: Paul Christopher is the pseudonym for Christopher Hyde, who also writes under the name A.J. Holt


Books in the Series: The Sword of the Templars (2009), The Templar Cross (2010), The Templar Throne (2010), The Templar Conspiracy (2011), The Templar Legion (2011), Red Templar (2012), Valley of the Templars (coming later in 2012)


CoverArt: Click on the picture for a larger, clearer image of the covers in this series.

Synopsis:


Paul Christopher, the New York Times bestselling author of The Templar Legion, draws readers into a deadly mystery that reveals an unknown realm of the Templars...


After nearly losing his life in Africa, retired Army Ranger and historian John Holliday is coming home and looking forward to some well-deserved peace and quiet. But his idyll is halted before it even begins.


At the airport, he is approached by a Russian man who calls himself Genrikhovich - and what he says stops Holliday in his tracks. He knows the location of the legendary Aos, companion to Holliday's own prized Templar sword.


Driven to continue his pursuit of the enigmatic warrior brotherhood's legacy, Holliday soon finds himself once more scouring the world, even as unseen forces align themselves against him. But his search will lead him beyond the truth - and into the dark heart of Russia, where the ancient Templar Order has secretly wielded power for centuries...


Thoughts:


As many of you know I generally don't review too many mainstream mysteries or thrillers. Cozies are generally more my cup of tea. But once in a while a book comes along in the suspense/thriller genre that really interests me. I was a big fan of The Da Vinci Code and adventures of that nature, so when the opportunity to review Red Templar came up, I jumped at it for several reasons. One of them being my background in history and a particular interest in the Knights Templar, and the legends surrounding them.


Red Templar is the sixth book by author Paul Christopher that is in some way connected to the Knights Templar. I have read the other books in this series and find that Christopher has a great sense of history and detail. His books are very fast paced and full of action but he doesn't leave out those little historical references that make all the difference in this kind of book. Readers who are unfamiliar with the Knights Templar will still be able to get an idea of who they were and why they were important in history and in this book. 


Each of the books in this series can be read as stand alones, or as part of the series which follows the adventures of John "Doc" Holliday a retired Army Ranger, West Point academic and historian. Holliday has pursued the legends of the Templars all over the world and even has a Templar relic of his own, a sword that kicked of the series in the first book, The Sword of the Templars. Holliday puts me in mind of Indiana Jones with a military background. He is a solid character that Christopher has developed in a slow and precise manner throughout the series. Readers who are looking for a hero that is straightforward, no-nonsense, courageous and with a hint of nerdiness about him will love Holliday.

Red Templar really shows off Christopher's ability to build suspense. Holliday is just returning home from a very intense situation in Africa and needs a little time to re-coop. But as they say, there's no rest for the weary. Christopher starts the action even before Holliday gets home with an unexpected visit from a man who says he knows the location of a sword that is the companion to the Templar sword that Holliday owns. How could a man like Holliday resist? Christopher keeps ramping up the energy and suspense with each chapter until the reader will have a hard time taking a breath. It's amazing to me how an author is able to get the reader so involved that they forget where they are or they are so loaded up on the energy they are biting their nails. Christopher does it with ease and that's part of the allure of this kind of book.

I liked Red Templar a lot. I thought it was in keeping with the rest of the series and allowed readers to learn even more about John Holliday and his obsession, if you will, with Templar legends and relics. The history behind this series is soooo interesting to me, going all the way back to when the Templars held the Temple Mount in Jerusalem for a time, when legend and rumor started to collide and the Templars became famous for their fighting abilities and for the relics they housed and guarded with their lives. Legend has it that the Templar's were in possession of the Holy Grail and the Shroud of Turin at some point in history and I loved the fact that Christopher really plays off the actual legends surrounding these noble men of old.

If you are a fan of fast paced, adventures with one foot in the present and another in the past, then this series and this book in particular is right up your alley. Paul Christopther is a seasoned writer who is able to craft novels that are spellbinding, heart pounding and full of significant information. But it doesn't read like a history lesson. It reads like book meant for the big screen. Readers will find themselves completed invested in this book and it's characters. You won't want to put it down and if you do... you'll be thinking about it. 

Red Templar is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag! 

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Red Templar by Paul Christopher.


~ You must be a GFC follower or E-mail subscriber to participate.
~ US and Canadian addresses only!
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST January 17th.


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