It's refreshing to see a Templar mystery novel that doesn't go with the same old Mary Magdalene bloodline stuff made popular by The Da Vinci Code (or 'The Leonardo Code' as it should be called). In fact, it's a brief topic of conversation with some characters arguing against and annoyed at precisely that theory. This one takes on a more supernatural bent, with psychic abilities and possibilities of reincarnation abound.
The book leads into an interesting sequel hook (one that is followed up on, I hope) and features a clichéd villain (acknowledged within the book as being slightly clichéd) bent on expanding his empire. Naturally this diary can help; it just needs translating. And that's where the main characters come in...
Kate Flynn is a homicide detective who gets drawn into the translating of the diary, which is being done by one Brother Thomas Bardsey of the plot-convenient monastery. Rather hilariously, there is a monk in the book called Brother Guy. I have pledged to call my brother this wherever possible. Naturally, the characters are drawn to each other, forbidden fruit, yadda yadda yadda. Their plot-necessary relationship is perhaps the only bad part of the whole book, which is good to say. One bad apple, as it were.
The book is not yet available on Amazon (the publicist assures me that it will be by May 30th, but you can take a look at the website, the rather nicely titled Definitive Words. I like the fact that they acknowledge the improbability of eBooks replacing the printed word completely, an argument I happen to agree with.
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