Lever Templar
In the 14th century, the power of the Templar Knights wains. Brim Hastings is a young sergeant/former scribe who unwittingly falls into trouble when his mentor hands him a heretical scroll with the intent to blackmail the papacy into leaving the Templars in peace. In the present day, Rick Lambert works in Iraq’s Ministry of the Interior, attempting to solve the disappearances of Christian priests. He discovers an antique domino that leads him to a fanatical adversary who is in search of an ancient heretical scroll.
More of this book takes place in the present day rather than in the 14th century, so those in search of a Knights of the Templar saga will be disappointed. For this reader, the character list seemed needlessly convoluted, with multiple narrative points of view that added nothing to the action. And speaking of action, while there was quite a bit of that, it often felt like hopping from task to task, rather than steps towards a final goal. Perhaps because expository plot dumps took the place of dialogue and actual scenes. The gear used by the team felt very up to date, but, if pressed, I think I would be more able to describe the night vision goggles than just one of the characters.
If technical thrillers are on the to-read list, this book might be of interest. If you want a book with characters or human motivation, look elsewhere.
