In the midst of all The Da Vinci Code hype and hoopla, one can be forgiven for forgetting that there are more than just two books that discuss Mary Magadalene and Rennes-le-Chateau. Tracy Twyman has been an occult and esoteric author for over a decade; her interest was tweaked initially, as with mine, by the (in)famous book The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail*, and its follow-up.

Twyman has produced a very interesting book on the mystery that surrounds this area of Southern France and those who have resided therein. As with all such, the Templars, the Inquisition, Jesus heirs and the Priory of Sion feature. The chapters at times read like individual articles for a magazine, and I believe some were, but that only adds to the readability of this work. Unlike some works on these subjects, Twyman avoids trying to look overly academic by being turgid and impenetrable.

That is not to say that this book is not a useful addition to the body of work on the origins of the Christian Church, its main players, and its path through history. It takes a certain skill to make such complicated and twisting a subject read well.

Whether or not you agree with her hypothesis — that the bloodline of the Merovingians stems not only from Christ and Mary Magdalene, but goes back far further, and that the Holy Grail" is hidden under the French town — this is a cracking read. There is a lot of interesting stuff in here for believer, sceptic or heretic.

Considering the first review of the Da Vinci Code movie, I suspect that spending your time reading the Tracy's book would be time far better spent. An open mind is useful for enjoyment; but not essential. She has sourced her information for those wishing to engage the subject further.

I am looking forward to reading the book's followup, Solomon's Treasure, which sits on my desk, next for review.

*Editor's note: The story of The Da Vinci Code, The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail and the court case has been told on Blogcritics.