Now here's an action-packed adventure that had on the edge of my seat!

This was the first installment I read from the series, and while it would have been a bit better to get introduced to the previous two books, I was still able to keep up and get introduced to these characters.
It's very well written, and the accurate historical facts about the Knight's Templar just made me really happy.

The history of the Templars is woven through this adventure and it made me want to read more about the events from these three centuries and their gruesome events.

The characters are strong and interesting. Robin and Mallory are both intellectual and they just make a great pair, especially against a number of bad guys who are right on their heels. They took me through a dangerous trip around Europe, with a surprising final destination.

The action is non-stop, The end was incredible, I recommend it!

My review was sent to Fresh Fiction in July. It has still not been posted to their website, though I've asked three times. I will update with it is posted. Thank you for the opportunity to view this ARC. Below is an excerpt:

If you’re a history buff, you’ll certainly get a good lesson in medieval history, as well as lessons in geography, art and architecture in THE TEMPLAR BROTHERHOOD. James Becker continues his adventure series, The Lost Treasure of the Templars, and gives us a whirlwind trip from Dartmouth, England into northern Scotland in search of this treasure. Robin and David are strong, intelligent characters who work well together to figure out the cryptic puzzle left by the Knights Templar over seven hundred years ago. The Dominicans are always just a step behind, but Robin and David are undaunted by their pursuit. The plot moves at breakneck speed and takes several twists and turns that are not anticipated, adding another dimension of adventure to the story. If you’re a Dan Brown fan and love this genre, you’ll love this story as well!

Robin Jessop, a shop owner, has come across a possible clue to finding the lost treasure of the ancient order of Knights Templar. The Templars had been wiped out in a purge by another sect of the church centuries ago but probably hid away the amazing amount of wealth they had accumulated during their
existence. Robin and her boyfriend David Mallory set out to find the treasure pursued by a sector of the church that wants the wealth for their order.
Robin and David find clues to where the treasure is located and move across Europe in search of it pursued relentlessly by the sect that also wants it. The circumstances described in the book should really lead to continuous action but the main part of the novel is tedious solving of one clue after another. This causes the novel to be slowed down and forces the reader to become bogged down into detail after detail while sluggishly moving forward. I found the ending to be just an apparent means of quickly terminating the novel with little or no satisfaction in following the book. I trust that this novel is not indicative of future books by Mr. Becker who has taken a great idea and done little with it.

James Becker takes on one of history's greatest mysteries: what happened to the treasures of the Knights of Templar after their demise at the hands of a Pope and a King? In the third book in his The Hounds of God trilogy, we continue on the trail of the treasure with antiquarian book seller Robin Jessop and encryption expert David Mallory as they work to decipher the clues left over 700 years before while dodging both Medieval bobby traps and contemporary bad guys who want the treasure for themselves.

Becker has mastered the art of the page turner: a plot driven story with interesting characters. Even the bad guys get some back story. I did fine myself laughing a bit at them as they can be a bit dull and seem to be easily outwitted by amateurs.

Some parts of the book related to cyphers got a little long as Brecker tried to explain somewhat detailed processes. I felt like I wanted a few more illustrations of what Robin and David were doing. The ones that were included really helped a novice to deciphering understand what they were doing.

I’ve just ordered the first two books in the series. I was able to read and understand The Templar Brotherhood without having read the other two books but I am looking forward to filling in some of the gaps.

Having finished all the Steve Berry “Cotton Malone” books, I am excited to find James Becker on my list!