The Templar Treasure

Not bad, not wonderful. A very rich story, with a lot of philosophy at various levels mixed into the tense and rather grim adventure that's the basic plot. A seal is stolen, and on rather thin (external, visible) clues Adam, Noel and Peregrine decide that it's the Seal of Solomon itself and that there's a great threat to all the world in its being in the wrong hands. They spend quite a lot of time struggling to figure out _anything_ - who took the seal, what they want, what the seal represents, what their next steps should be. The first clues require quite a lot of discussion with various ghosts - spirits, disembodied and otherwise. Each tiny step sends them off in another direction, for something else that has to be done before they show more can take the next step - it gets quite frustrating, for them as well as for the reader. The reader does have the advantage of the occasional scene from the POV of the thief, so we know who and why and something of what long before the Hunters do. And it comes down to a race through a rainy night, with our heroes always behind - which may be a good thing. And the Light triumphs in the end, though not before another death. Quite a good story, though not as enjoyable, for me, as the previous one. I'll keep it - as I noted in my review for the first book, these three keep being culled and re-bought, so I might as well hang on to it. show less

Third installment in the Adept series by Kurtz & Harris, this one is decidely much better than the previous two. Maybe it's because I have a great interest in the Knights Templar, in occult fiction and I'm a sucker for stories of arcane knowledge, but I really enjoyed this book.

Our Huntsment friends Adam, Noel, and Peregrine (why can't they at least call him Perry?) are back in their game once more. As the story opens, a very dear friend of Adam's, Nathan Fiennes, has been seriously wounded in the course of a robbery at his home. But this is no ordinary home robbery; the thieves are looking for what is purported to be Solomon's Seal, given into the care of the Templar Knights in the past. Even before his wife can call an ambulance, show more Fiennes begs her to call Adam Sinclair. Once Adam is brought in, he will stop at nothing once he realizes the power of the Seal.

There is a LOT of history regarding the Knights Templar in Scotland; very well done. However, I would be sure to read the first two before this one in the series so you have some clue as to Adam Sinclair's history. show less

Masons, Knights Templar, treasure, time travel, and romance -- what's not to like?

Maybe not quite as good as the first two, but still very good.

Booklist Review: This is the third but probably not the last entry in a series (The Adept) that's using the occult-detective theme very well. This time, Sir Adam Sinclair, Peregrine Lovat, and Inspector McLeod do not face a vast, sinister cabal, yet their opponents are formidable enough. A corrupt antiquarian has obtained keys to the long-lost treasure of the Knights Templar, which is actually the demons Gog and Magog, whose release upon the world must be prevented at all costs. All the virtues of previous volumes are here, including especially deft sketching of secondary characters. ((Reviewed June 1993)) -- Roland Green