Lever Templar by Matt GianniMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lever Templar is a tale of two eras – the 1300s during the time of the suppression of the Knights Templar by the King of France and the Vatican, and the present day, when Islamic factions and the West are still at war. The ancient story focuses on the discovery and concealment of an even more ancient scroll that contains information that could be shattering to Christianity, while the modern tale chronicles the search for that scroll by terrorists who would use it to destroy their most potent enemy, opposed by western warriors.
The two stories are told in alternating chapters, and dovetail nicely. The protagonists are noble, likeable and have considerable depth, and the antagonists are also three dimensional. Sometimes the impressive amount of historical detail causes the tension to flag, but there’s also a lot of Tom Clancy-like technical detail, both ancient and modern, for those who like such things.
I enjoyed Levar Templar, even though I thought it was a bit too long. It would have only been made better by judicious editing of some of the more arcane details, and consolidation of the last few chapters into a concise ending after the revelation of the principal mystery. Still if you enjoy historical fiction or modern techno-thirillers, give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.
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