Review: The Templar Conspiracy by Paul Christopher

John ‘Doc’ Holliday #4

My version:
Paperback
Fiction Present day, The Templars
Penguin Books
2011
Bought

The ruthless reign of a secret power must be stopped…

In Rome, the public assassination of the Pope by a sniper on Christmas Day sets off a massive investigation that stretches across the globe. But behind the veil of Rex Deus – the Templar cabal that silently wields power in the twenty-first century – the plot has only just begun.

The cabal has a position of ultimate control in its sights – and its head, Kate Sinclair is never going to yield her one great ambition for her US senator son, Richard Pierce Sinclair.

When ex-Army Ranger John Holliday uncovers the true motive behind the Pontiff’s murder, he must unlock the secrets of a modern Templar conspiracy – and unravel Kate Sinclair’s deadly design.

As there are precious few Templar secrets left to be revealed (in this series, and in general), certainly not enough to base a series of books this long on, once the map was found in a previous book, the following ones are all about the chase, the chasers, the chased and the chasing. That sort of thing. Judged on those grounds, it’s really rather alright. I’ve invested in the whole series – as far as I can see – and think they do a very good job of entertaining me.

There are a couple of problems, though he does seemed to have fixed his Da Vinci Code irritation, there’s just one ‘pop’ as far as I could see. Which, is ironic, given the similarity of the start of Conspiracy, with Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons.

Plot-wise, there was a very similar ‘all is not what it seems/being led up the garden path’-type plot twist as the previous book. Though, as Lee Child’s Jack Reacher is basically held captive, one way or another, at the start of the first three Jack Reacher books I’ve read, one perhaps shouldn’t complain. And, speaking of Lee Reacher, there is a similar ‘only in the USA!’ with nutcases in the woods, militia stuff as the previous book (or was it the one before) and as in Lee Child. Still, these militia types are always both good for a laugh, and some harmless ridding the world of the extreme stupid people-type fun. Certainly, the plot is a deal more plausible than, for instance, ALL pre-Daniel Craig James Bond films, even if he/the characters clearly think that ‘ultimate control’ means control of the world, means control of the USA. I’d fight back against that kind of delusional myopia, with them getting taken twice, by false cops, stopping their car and coming up on both sides (of it), which is stretching that ‘leader of the free world’ stuff more than a little.

Like I say, I enjoy these books. There’s enough there to interest me and keep me turning the pages until the end. I could do with coming a bit closer to the characters, but ‘Doc’ Holiday is strong enough to be going on with for now.

You can buy The Templar Conspiracy at The Book Depository (you may have to look elsewhere to get the cover I got)