Official Review: The Templars Cross by J. R. Tomlin

[sahmoun2778]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Templars Cross" by J. R. Tomlin.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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A great medieval mystery! This one is set in the city of Perth in Scotland in the year 1424. Scottish soldiers having been fighting in the war between the English and the French and many of them are now returning home.

Sir Law Kintour is our hero. While serving in France under the Earl of Douglas, Sir Law was injured in the leg. His injury has left him with a limp, and the death of the Earl in battle has left him without a patron. The Earl’s son is not interested in an injured knight and so Sir Law finds himself in Perth looking for whatever work he can get. One day, Lord Blinsele comes looking for him at the inn where he is staying. He has a story about his wife being kidnapped and wants to hire Sir Law to find her and the man she is with.

This seemingly simple task soon turns into a very tangled web of lies, mischief, and murder. Lord Blinsele is not really looking for a missing wife but for a missing artifact. The young lady working with him likes to whack people over the head. Sir Law’s friend Duncan and de Carnea, the man everyone’s looking for, both turn up dead. The Sheriff wants to please the king by hanging someone for the murders. Law has 48 hours to find that someone. Will Law and his new friend Cormac the Minstrel be able to meet the deadline? Will the Sheriff through Law to the wolves and see him hang?

Sir Law is an interesting character. One the one hand, he’s a tough, battle-hardened warrior. On the other hand, he’s very insecure about his future prospects. Duncan had saved him in battle and accompanied him home; his friendship, limited though it was, is nevertheless a loss to Sir Law. Cormac is younger and looking for adventure, even if danger is involved.

I found this story engaging with a well-developed plot line. The author does use some of the Gaelic and Scottish vernacular which may be a little challenging at first but there is an appendix included with definitions of all the words used. You would especially enjoy this if you like medieval stories. This is a very twisty story so make sure you’re wearing your thinking cap with this one. I did encounter some editing issues which did not take away from the story but were annoying when they popped up. Overall, I give this book 3 out of 4 stars because the story was clever and the characters engaging, however, it could have been a little more polished.

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The Templars Cross
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[bookowlie]

Great review! I love books that are set in England, Scotland, or Ireland. The "twisty plot" sounds challenging in a good way. Nice job!

[Janiac02]

I recently received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest Amazon review. I enjoyed reading it as well ( I am a big fan of the Medieval fiction). The author confirmed that this will be made into a series, and we'll see some of the same characters back, including Dave the Ratcatcher, who I was particularly curious about. Oddly enough I had a better opinion of the book a couple of weeks after I read it then I did when I had first finished reading. Now I'm hooked, and I'm excited for the next part of the series.

Nicely written review! Thanks for sharing.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Great review! I don't think this book is for me, but I think other people would enjoy it!

[JRTomlin]

I recently received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest Amazon review. I enjoyed reading it as well ( I am a big fan of the Medieval fiction). The author confirmed that this will be made into a series, and we'll see some of the same characters back, including Dave the Ratcatcher, who I was particularly curious about. Oddly enough I had a better opinion of the book a couple of weeks after I read it then I did when I had first finished reading. Now I'm hooked, and I'm excited for the next part of the series.

Nicely written review! Thanks for sharing.

I'm not sure if it's acceptable for authors to post in a thread on their on novel, so I hope I'm not stepping over a line. I do appreciate the thought that went into the reviews. I just wanted to confirm that I am indeed working on the next in what I intend to be a series and Dave the Ratcatcher as well as a number of other characters will make appearances. (Dave was based on a good friend from Scotland and surprisingly enough he is still a good friend )

Thanks again.

Edited for a typo

[Janiac02]

I'm not sure if it's acceptable for authors to post in a thread on their on novel, so I hope I'm not stepping over a line. I do appreciate the thought that went into the reviews. I just wanted to confirm that I am indeed working on the next in what I intend to be a series and Dave the Ratcatcher as well as a number of other characters will make appearances. (Dave was based on a good friend from Scotland and surprisingly enough he is still a good friend )

Thanks again.

Edited for a typo

You are always welcome to weigh in. We love hearing from the author of the book we're reviewing. I think that's pretty cool!

[Rachaelamb1]

A medieval mystery with a twisty plot, I like it! Great review!

[JRTomlin]

I'm not sure if it's acceptable for authors to post in a thread on their on novel, so I hope I'm not stepping over a line. I do appreciate the thought that went into the reviews. I just wanted to confirm that I am indeed working on the next in what I intend to be a series and Dave the Ratcatcher as well as a number of other characters will make appearances. (Dave was based on a good friend from Scotland and surprisingly enough he is still a good friend )

Thanks again.

Edited for a typo

You are always welcome to weigh in. We love hearing from the author of the book we're reviewing. I think that's pretty cool!

I appreciate that. I try to make any comments positive.

[Paliden]

Sounds interesting, I will have to look it up!

[anonanemone]

This sounds very interesting! Is the cross the missing artifact?

[JRTomlin]

Yes, the cross is the missing artifact.

One reviewer on Amazon complained a bit that there are no Templars in the novel. Just to be clear, he's correct. There is a bit of explanation however how Templar artifacts came to be associated with Scotland. There have long been legends of Templar treasure hidden there.

Anyway, clues have been found where the cross is and ... well, the rest is in the novel.

[anonanemone]

That's pretty interesting. Thanks for the info JR! I had looked over this book in the review selections and felt confused as to why there seemed to be no relation that I could tell to Templars. This clears it up for me.

My in-laws would also really enjoy this book since they love Scottish history...maybe a good Christmas present

[JRTomlin]

Always happy to answer questions. Glad you think it's interesting.