I had high hopes for this book when I picked it up. Unfortunately, those expectations went unmet. It could be because this is the second fourth in a series and I haven't read the first one three. To be honest I only finished this book so I'd be able to write an honest review of it. With a title like "The Templar Conspiracy" however, one might expect to actually see some mention of those fabled knights. While they are mentioned in passing, I never really felt the wieght of mystery one usually gets when "Secret Societies" are involved. The bogeyman (or woman) in this case is the matriarch of what we are told is a powerful, or at least very wealthy family, Kate Sinclair and her shadow organization "Rex Deus." I suppose that is where the connection to the Templars derives. Again, it may simply be that this is the second of a series and all that was covered in the first book. Rex Deus bears a passing resemblance to Opus Dei as protrayed in Dan Brown's work, but again, I never got a sense of religious fervor. Rather, they appeared to be entirely politically motivated. There is mention of a secret Templar Manuscript in the posession of the main protagoinst, but again this isn't even the primary macguffin and is only mentioned in passing.What this story devolves into is a faily limp chase novel, with the good guys trying to intercept an international assassin who's been hired to assasinate the Pope, the Vice President of the US, and finally the President. All in a scheme to put Kate's son, Richard, in the Oval Office and simultaneously force the country into a state of Martial Law. Along the way the author takes a few pot shots at conservative pundits. The dual spectres of Islamic Jihad and Domestic Terrorism are employed as foils; but, for me, the whole affair lacks a certain punch.
"The Templar Conspiracy" is an action thriller that reminded me of early James Bond movies: non-stop action but little character development. Peggy and Holliday were gutsy and engaging, but we didn't get to know them very well (which is fine for a thriller).The suspense was created by near-constant physical danger to the main characters (and others). However, since the main characters seemed confident of their ability to handle the danger, I never really worried for them and that cut down on the suspense.The author did an excellent job creating vivid descriptions of the many, varied settings, and the action scenes felt realistic. There were brief, graphic descriptions of gore during some of the fight scenes.This novel was the fourth in the series, but you don't need to have read the previous novels to understand this one. However, this one does spoil what happened in previous novels.There was some bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to people who enjoy James Bond type stories.I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.
