Two stars (of five)
Christopher returns with a ninth novel in his Templar series that remains on perma-tepid, if not drifting towards cool. Lieutenant Colonel John “Doc” Holliday vows to find a long-lost Dead Sea Scroll that could have great implications for Christianity as a whole. During his search, Holliday also discovers a link between the Catholic Church and a number of art forgeries directly tied to the Nazis, putting these two unlikely groups in bed together. With this highly controversial information, Holliday embarks on his journey, teaming up with Interpol agent Peter Lazarus, to solve both mysteries and live to tell about his harrowing tale. With curious intensity, Christopher tells a story that has long-divorced itself from the Templar theme, but still rocks Christianity’s foundation.
As I have written of past Templar series novels penned by Paul Christopher, the wind has surely left the author’s sails and he is seeking only to propel himself forward with mediocre publications. The story, while sound, lacks depth or content to push it towards being a great novel. Christopher has left Templar queries behind in the dust and while he continues to push new and exciting mysteries, his dedication to the plot and thorough development of characters leaves the larger product lacking the needed content to make it worth the reader’s time. Should a reader wish to embark on this Templar journey, I can only recommend binge reading the entire series, so as to remember content from one novel to the next, as they become less memorable as the novels pile up.
As you did with your last series, Mr. Christopher, you left these books to wander out to pasture. For that, I can only ask why you do not stop writing them and begin something new, where you might find new inspiration and not tasteless drivel.
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