The Knights of the Cornerstone

A strangely relaxed little book peopled with odd characters who's preferred drink is soca pop - preferably Nehu Grape; the pages are saturated with the atmosphere of the 1970s - so much so that the mention of a cellphone is disturbingly anachronistic.

Calvin Bryson is an amateur cartoonist of independent means, recently ditched by his fiance but not exactly broken-hearted. When his family pressure him to deliver a parcel to an uncle living in the eccentric desert town of New Cyprus he is unenthusiastic but dutiful until the theft of his package rouses him to curiosity.

Calvin fully intends to return to California after a flying visit but he is not only drawn into a deadly mystery involving The Knights of the Cornerstone [descendants of show more the Knights Templar] and their guardianship of a sacred relic [the veil of st Veronica, with magical/mystical healing powers] but he also falls in love.

Murder, abduction, theft, romance - even ghosts and magic - all are presented in an unassumingly low-key matter of fact manner which result in the book being 'light' despite its sometimes portentious subject matter, and even being classed as magical realism. Actually, although I won't recommend Knights, it's not too bad - certainly not as bad as a classification of magical realism suggests.

I ordered it because it came up on my Recommendations list of few times. I must admit to being sorely disappointed. However, as a quirky story in a weird but timeless setting in which violence is tempered by romance and a happy ending is more or less guaranteed for reluctant hero Calvin, Knights is a good but unexciting read. show less

This is the first Blaylock book I've read outside of the "Cheeser" series (His earliest works). It's also the first full-fledged novel from Mr. Blaylock in about 9 years. That being said, I was unsure of what to expect since he changed genres.

I felt that the book could have used some more history on the Knights, but maybe that is being saved for another book. I could also see Calvin Bryson, an unassuming hero, being a central character in future series. Overall, I found the book to be very entertaining, but I know part of that is because I'm very familiar with the area where the story mainly takes place. Though without that level of intimacy, I still believe the story stands on its own.

Very nice, although not at the same level as Paper Grail and Aill the Bells on Earth.