Adept 03 The Templar Treasure [Mass Market Paperback]

After admitting that I am an avid fan of Kurtz, I was somewhat disappointed with this series. The first book I thought was terrible. The characters found in the book are wonderful, but the story is just too out there for even this fantasy lover's taste. The second was better however, and the third was better still. Although not up to par with the Deryini series, it has its good moments. As the title suggests, it is a story that has a great deal to do with the history of the Knights Templar; their fall from grace, and the legends that still surround them. That was what I found fascinating about the book. Well researched, with mention of various books that tell of the Templars, it makes for interesting reading for anyone who is interested in these enigmatic people. Without giving away the ending of the book, I would like to say that it was very disappointing however. Going from the lords and ladies of Scotland to an all out gorilla warfare scene pushes the limit of the imagination just a tad too far

THE TEMPLAR TREASURE is the third of THE ADEPT novels. The best written book in the series, it is also somewhat like a prodigal son, having a storyline and plot totally divorced from the rest of the books.

Rather than doing battle with The Lodge of the Lynx as in the rest of the series, Sir Adam and his associates are faced with a renegade French archaeologist and occultist, Henri Gerard, who has discovered the secret of King Solomon's treasures and is on a mad quest to recover them and the wealth and power he believes they represent.

Kurtz and Harris are indefatigable here in providing literally chapters' worth of lore about the Knights Templar and their connections to historic Scotland, as well as finally defining the occult traditions of their protagonists.

THE TEMPLAR TREASURE is spiced with some really intriguing medium/seance/reincarnation scenes that seem entirely plausible within the scope of the novel.

Best of all, Kurtz has "borrowed" General Sir John Cathal Graham from her wonderful novel LAMMAS NIGHT. Gray Graham brings a whole nuanced texture to THE TEMPLAR TREASURE which makes it unique in the ADEPT series. It's clear Kurtz adores the character of Graham and his scenes make up some of the best writing in the book.

The scene descriptions are detailed without being heavy-handed. Sir Adam, Peregrine and Inspector McLeod seem to have settled into an easy camaraderie. The stilted "drawing-room" tone of the first two ADEPT novels is muted, and the characters all exhibit a certain dry wit and a sense of poking fun at themselves throughout that makes THE TEMPLAR TREASURE a minor gem.

Give this novel FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS and a chance to grow on you.

Suspend your logic for a trip into a magical world with The Adept series. Yes, Kurtz and Harris make good use of just enough historical fact to maintain plausibility, while adding a good dose of fantastical magic for a wonderful read. While The Templar Treasure may not contain enough fact for fans of that bygone order, it does contain some reasonably accurate description of Qabalistic ritual. I am certain that either Kurtz or Harris are familiar enough with the Golden Dawn tradition to have fashioned their psychic detective in similar tradition. A delightful read.