The Last Templar

By: Raymond Khoury

Narrated by: Richard Ferrone

Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

"It has served us well, this myth of Christ."
Pope Leo X, 16th Century

The Last Templar opens with a hail of fire and flashing sword, as the burning city of Acre falls from the hands of the West in 1291. A young Templar knight, his mentor, and a handful of others escape to the sea carrying a mysterious chest entrusted to them by the Order's dying Grand Master. The ship vanishes without a trace.

In present day Manhattan, four masked horsemen dressed as Templar Knights emerge from Central Park and ride up the Fifth Avenue steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the black-tie opening of a "Treasures of the Vatican" exhibit. Storming through the crowds, the horsemen brutally attack anyone standing between them and their prize. Attending the gala, archaeologist Tess Chaykin watches in silent terror as the leader of the horsemen hones in on one piece in particular, a strange geared device. He utters a few cryptic Latin words as he takes hold of it with reverence before leading the horsemen out and disappearing into the night.

In the aftermath, an FBI investigation is led by anti-terrorist specialist Sean Reilly. Soon, he and Tess are drawn into the dark, hidden history of the crusading knights, plunging them into a deadly game of cat and mouse with ruthless killers as they race across three continents to recover the lost secret of the Templars.

©2006 Raymond Khoury (P)2006 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., and Books on Tape. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Like The Da Vinci Code, Khoury’s novel features age-old mysteries that play out in a modern setting.” (The New York Times)

“Absorbingly brisk.” (The San Francisco Chronicle)

“One of the most gripping opening scenes among recent thrillers.... [The] story is nothing if not cinematic, as it skips across three continents and climaxes with a storm at sea of biblical proportions.” (Booklist)

Great book

I have read the paperback and the audio is awesome. The narrator really bring the charactors to life. The history parts that most people skim through when they read were very interesting. I listen to this book several times, and still love it more each time.

Great Book

Top performance from both narrator and author. Thoroughly enjoyed the book and it's great attention to detail.

Intense

I thouroughly enjoyed this book. It was full of a lot of great substories that draw the reader(listener) in and keeps you there. The ideas it brings up gives you food for thought and could be great to discuss with friends.

Ending was somewhat anti-climactic

I thouroughly enjoyed this book until the last one hour of listening. I kept expecting something "more" to happen in the end and was in disbelief when it just...ended. Yes, there was a final chase/struggle but even that was just a bit disappointing. Without going into too much detail, I will just say there were too many loose ends. Even the epilogue left me wanting for more and offered no real closure to the story. Having said that, I would still suggest this book to a friend.

the attack on the resurrection is tiresome

I thought the story was okay until about 4 hours to go when they tried very hard to prove there was no the resurrection of Christ, and that the Catholic Church had been trying to conceal it, and then Templars had evidence of that.

awesome

very compelling story and characters. very well written. the author has the right amount of history and fiction to make it believable.

Cut from the Dan Brown cloth, entertaining novel

Any fan of Dan Brown should give this a try, I didn't enjoy to the same degree. Nevertheless, a good solid book especially to those who have in interest in the crusades and moreover the Knights Templar.

Great adventure story similar to Dan Brown stories

What did you love best about The Last Templar?

The story.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was good. Enough complications to keep it interesting, but not so many that you're lost. I kept up with the story easily and looked forward to hearing more of it.

Have you listened to any of Richard Ferrone’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

N/A

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did not have an extreme reaction, but it did connect emotionally to me very well.

Any additional comments?

Great book. The main character's change of heart so quickly and easily at a moments notice seemed rushed to me, but my wife didn't think so. I also missed the main point at the end, but my wife got it and explained it to me and then I saw it easily. Very enjoyable book.

such a great book!

Raymond Khoury keeps you enthralled from start to finish, love his writing! great book for anyone looking for a good mystery.

Great except ending

Fascinating story & narrator excellent. Disappointed they took easy ending instead of continuing the storyline. Hopefully book 2.