Honor. Blood. Lust. Loyalty. Death & the Grail in a Mystery thriller

[Pithy Cherub]

entitled Labyrinth. It spans 800 years from the picturesque south of France in the 21st century and then witnessing the gruesome bloody terrors of the Crusades in the same spot in 1209. And it's all about the Grail, but nobody knows it at first.

The story starts with a purposeful distancing of the reader that is frankly annoying for the first few pages. It made me wonder why I bothered with such an author I'd never heard of, then it became quite a good read. It covers the history of the northern French invasion in the name of the Catholic Church against the southern Cathars deemed heretics. The culture clash continues to this day.

The story follows a high born lady and a Dr. of English Letters to understand a labyrinth and the clues to Life. Against the backdrop of the Crusades, they get clues to come closer to the truth. Powerful interests are willing to seduce, betray and kill for the books that neither can read. Others are willing to lend a helping hand. A special ring becomes another big draw to the ambitious, but the ring is stolen. And the chase is on.

The history lessons contained within are fabulous, especially about who writes the history having different motives than the truth. The story of labyrinths is also quite interesting as they are diffent than mazes and has a religious or meditative quality from Ancient Egypt to the present day.

It's a great summer read written by an author, Kate Mosse who works for the BBC and has a home also in Carcassone. http://labyrinthbook.net/home/index.asp