Evil never truly dies. It may sleep for centuries, only to reawaken when innocent souls least expect it. Yet, once such malevolence has made its mark - permeating the lives of modern people and filling their hearts with abject fear - it is always difficult to fully eradicate its touch; even among people who have never dreamed that the supernatural might actually exist.

While on sabbatical somewhere in the south of France - in the beautifully remote village of Saint-Bertrand - medieval history professor John McTell and his new wife Linden have recently rented a secluded villa. The newlyweds have decided to spend the next several months together seeing the sights and settling into their fledgling marriage. Professor McTell is initially drawn to the village of Saint-Bertrand because of its charming scenery and its historical significance.

He also finds himself oddly fascinated by the tales of local lore: most especially by the legend of Guilhem de Courdeval - a renegade Knight Templar, allegedly burned at the stake in 1307 for heresy and dark sorcery. While it is certainly an intriguing story, John finds himself strangely captivated by the dark sorcerer himself. Determined to learn more about Guilhem de Courdeval, the professor sets out to investigate the crumbling ruins of the knight's fortress.

According to the fantastic stories told by superstitious villagers, the sorcerer's malevolent soul has apparently remained imprisoned within carved and blessed stone for centuries. As skeptical of these stories as he may be, John still feels compelled to investigate them anyway. Unfortunately, his investigations will not only threaten his very soul, but could also potentially unleash a diabolically evil presence - to again stalk the land and claim its next victim.

In my opinion, this was a very intriguing book to read. I was utterly captivated by the story, and it definitely held my attention all the way through. I found that there was always something happening in the plot, the pace never slowed or became bogged down in any way. I would certainly give this book an A+!

Daniel Rhodes is actually a pseudonym for prolific thriller author Neil McMahon; and was used for the four horror novels that he published in the late 1980s. I actually had the pleasure of reading Mr. Rhodes' second published novel Adversary about twenty years ago. Both books have since been put back on my bookshelf and I think that I will keep them to read again later. ( )

Not bad. Creepy locale. Gruesome when it needs to be. Good for a few hours of entertainment. I wouldn't mind reading more from this author. ( )