Robin Jessop didn't expect to find much of value in the old library she was asked to assess. An unusual volume called Ipse Dixit catches the eye of the antiquarian bookseller and she can't resist further exploring the mystery. The volume turns out to be a safe rather than an actual book, and the parchment inside only leads to further mysteries. Robin asks one of her customers, David Mallory, to aid her with the encryption on the parchment and their collaboration soon sends them headlong into a conspiracy that stretches back to the early 1300s and the Knights Templar. Can Robin and David outwit the forces opposing them and solve the mystery of the parchment?

Who doesn't love a good thriller involving a bookseller as the heroine, particularly when it's coupled with a good conspiracy and mystery? THE LOST TREASURE OF THE TEMPLARS is the first book in an exciting new series that delves into the mysteries of the Knights Templar as our characters lead us on a thrilling chase across countries. I love the fast pace and the action, as there are very few slow points in the first half of the story. In fact, the only slow points tend to be later in the book when we receive quick history lessons, or the main characters voice a bit of their own political opinions.

James Becker does a thorough job developing his main characters as we are able to see why Robin and David have the knowledge and skills they display in THE LOST TREASURE OF THE TEMPLARS. I like that James Becker doesn't simply make them experts but gives a reason as to why they have certain abilities, even if some of the reasons are a bit deus ex-machina. The shadowy figures from Rome are a bit less developed as their motivation and funding still remains quite secretive. I hope we get to delve more into their world because I would like to see and understand more of what is driving this vast empire.

Conspiracies involving the church and the Knights Templar are always fascinating reads, and James Becker sets off on a spectacular start to the series with THE LOST TREASURE OF THE TEMPLARS. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger and I'm curious to see what adventures Robin and David will have in the next book. If you love action-packed stories with conspiracies that weave back and forth into history, then look no further than THE LOST TREASURE OF THE TEMPLARS.