The Templar Throne (Templar, Book 3)

Despite all the criticisms I've laid on the other two books in this series, I still find his writing readable. In this one, he goes after the ark of the covenant with the help of a nun. It is once again, a race with time and relentless pursuers. As with his other books, he has a thing about Dan Brown which I am beginning to believe is just a plot device and not a personal disdain for the author or his books. The same can be said for his criticism of big government, the Catholic church, the American and Canadian governments, and all that. I don't take it personally. Also, as before, he likes to describe things in excruciating detail, to the point where I would forget what he was describing by the time I got to the end of the long one or two paragraphs (or more). The pace moves right along and what I like is there are breathers for the characters to interact and think about things. However, as before, the actual action scenes always seem a bit anticlimactic, as if thrown in there to get to the next scene description. Despite all, there are enough plot twists, location changes, and interaction with characters that it kept me glued to my seat. What makes this book a good one in my mind is that when I am reading during commercials, they aren't distracting me (that is a big problem with the book I am currently reading). With the Templar Throne, I was thoroughly engaged. I finished it while on vacation and it was perfect for the beach or in the hotel room. As for factual errors, I could care less. Whatever errors there are, I wouldn't know unless it was something I specifically knew to be wrong, or the fact was so out there, I'd have to scratch my head. I never ran across that, but then again, I'm not medieval history buff or an expert on the Catholic church. All in all, it was a fun read and I will certainly pick up the next one. I just wonder how much more oomph he could have put into the action scenes instead of describing everything ad-nauseum. Still recommended.

I have enjoyed all the Templar novels and look forward to the Templar Conspiracy. However, Christopher's theology is better than his horsemanship: "She was wearing formal riding clothers, including tall black boots and jodhpurs." (p.377) Tall black boots are worn over breeches which fit the calf closely. Jodhpur pants fit the lower leg more loosely and are secured just below the knee. Black boots won't fit over jodhpur pants. Formal black boots reach to the knee. Jodhpur boots are brown and reach to the ankle. See[...]