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The Secret of the Cathars: The Languedoc Trilogy - Book 1 (Adventure, Mystery, Romance
Philips Sinclair’s grandmother has recently died. She leaves him the unusual legacy of the translated journal of his ancient ancestor, who was one of the four Cathar perfecti who escaped from the castle of Montségur with the ‘treasure of the Cathars’ strapped to his back – a treasure which has never been found. She also leaves him a sum of money with the request that he travels to the Pyrenean fastness of le Bézu where she believes the treasure still lies.
Meanwhile the famous young French archaeologist Jaqueline Blontard has arrived at le Bézu to start excavations as part of her new television series about the Albigensian Crusade. She believes her team will have the summer to uncover the secrets of the place before they are disturbed by the press and the authorities.
However the Roman Catholic Church already knows about their plans and has arranged for their agent to join the archaeologists. Also a secret but very influential body in Paris is sending their man to watch the excavations. Furthermore a criminal gang in Marseilles has become involved in the search for the treasure.
The archaeologists are suspicious of Philip but allow him to join them. As they start to uncover the secrets of le Bézu they find themselves in a race to make the information public before they are overwhelmed in a maelstrom of violence caused by the forces trying to stop them so that they can claim the treasures for their own illegal ends.
Meanwhile the famous young French archaeologist Jaqueline Blontard has arrived at le Bézu to start excavations as part of her new television series about the Albigensian Crusade. She believes her team will have the summer to uncover the secrets of the place before they are disturbed by the press and the authorities.
However the Roman Catholic Church already knows about their plans and has arranged for their agent to join the archaeologists. Also a secret but very influential body in Paris is sending their man to watch the excavations. Furthermore a criminal gang in Marseilles has become involved in the search for the treasure.
The archaeologists are suspicious of Philip but allow him to join them. As they start to uncover the secrets of le Bézu they find themselves in a race to make the information public before they are overwhelmed in a maelstrom of violence caused by the forces trying to stop them so that they can claim the treasures for their own illegal ends.
329 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 14, 2015
I had never heard of The Cathars before so, in addition to being a fantastic story, this was a really interesting history lesson for me. It did take me a few chapters to really get into the book as there were a lot of different characters introduced at first, but once I got into the story I couldn’t wait to pick it up each evening for another instalment.
Philip Sinclair inherits his Grandmother’s house when she passes away, along with a letter requesting that he travel to the ancient Cathar stronghold le Bezu to find some scrolls that his ancestor had hidden in the castle. Philip is also given a diary belonging to his ancestor, Phillipe de Sainte Claire, which his Grandmother has translated into English. This is his key to finding out where the scrolls have been hidden.
When he gets to France, he finds that a team of archaeologists have started excavating le Bezu and his interest in the site makes him anything but welcome. Then one of the team is discovered dead on the site and a murder investigation gets underway with Philip being one of the main suspects. Unbeknown to the police there are lots of other suspects, some even hidden amongst the archaeology team. Nobody is who they seem.
I've always dreamt of being an archaeologist so I loved the character of Jacqueline Blontard. Jackie is an archaeologist who has her own series on TV France where viewers can follow her current project. She has come to le Bezu to excavate the Cathar stronghold and to my absolute delight le Bezu is a real place. I even found that when I googled it, I had drawn an imaginary picture in my mind that was pretty close to fact – thanks to the vivid scene that was set by Michael Hillier’s amazingly descriptive writing.
This really is an excellent book reminiscent of Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon novels. There are so many different people trying to get their hands on the treasure that you don't know who to trust. I even had goosebumps at the ending, and like the Da Vinci Code it certainly made me think 'hmmm, maybe...'. If you enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, you will enjoy The Secret of The Cathars - it's perhaps not as 'Hollywood' as Dan Brown but it's an absolutely riveting read.
I received this book from Authoright PR in exchange for an honest review.
Philip Sinclair inherits his Grandmother’s house when she passes away, along with a letter requesting that he travel to the ancient Cathar stronghold le Bezu to find some scrolls that his ancestor had hidden in the castle. Philip is also given a diary belonging to his ancestor, Phillipe de Sainte Claire, which his Grandmother has translated into English. This is his key to finding out where the scrolls have been hidden.
When he gets to France, he finds that a team of archaeologists have started excavating le Bezu and his interest in the site makes him anything but welcome. Then one of the team is discovered dead on the site and a murder investigation gets underway with Philip being one of the main suspects. Unbeknown to the police there are lots of other suspects, some even hidden amongst the archaeology team. Nobody is who they seem.
I've always dreamt of being an archaeologist so I loved the character of Jacqueline Blontard. Jackie is an archaeologist who has her own series on TV France where viewers can follow her current project. She has come to le Bezu to excavate the Cathar stronghold and to my absolute delight le Bezu is a real place. I even found that when I googled it, I had drawn an imaginary picture in my mind that was pretty close to fact – thanks to the vivid scene that was set by Michael Hillier’s amazingly descriptive writing.
This really is an excellent book reminiscent of Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon novels. There are so many different people trying to get their hands on the treasure that you don't know who to trust. I even had goosebumps at the ending, and like the Da Vinci Code it certainly made me think 'hmmm, maybe...'. If you enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, you will enjoy The Secret of The Cathars - it's perhaps not as 'Hollywood' as Dan Brown but it's an absolutely riveting read.
I received this book from Authoright PR in exchange for an honest review.
December 7, 2015
I'm interested in the history of the Cathars so was looking forward to reading this novel. It took a while for it to get going, there were a lot of characters that all appeared over a few chapters. I had to keep reading back to get an understanding of who each one was and what they wanted. I persevered though and quite enjoyed it. The actual story isn't that strong but it was engaging. It's one that I would probably enjoy more on a second read.
With thanks to Authoright for the copy received.
With thanks to Authoright for the copy received.
February 13, 2024
An enjoyable and intriguing read, quite involved as the story factored in all the organisations and characters while getting started.
Some good history provided as background and the whole thing moved on smoothly in a way that kept you reading.
An enjoyable 4-star read. I may read the next in the series now....it was that good!
Some good history provided as background and the whole thing moved on smoothly in a way that kept you reading.
An enjoyable 4-star read. I may read the next in the series now....it was that good!
December 12, 2024
Not a bad story, a very easy read. The story flowed really easily, the characters didn't have any real depth to them. It only took a day to read. The basis to the story is a good one, the secrets of the Cathars and what happened to them. I'll probably read the next one, but I'm not sure, didn't really feel invested in the story.
July 16, 2020
Cathars
I enjoyed the story. It was a long read and I got more enthused by the story in the last chapters. I was a bit disappointed at the end of the story I was hoping for a better disclosure. Without giving the storyline away. I hope the next books offer a more positive end.
I enjoyed the story. It was a long read and I got more enthused by the story in the last chapters. I was a bit disappointed at the end of the story I was hoping for a better disclosure. Without giving the storyline away. I hope the next books offer a more positive end.
June 14, 2019
The Secret of the Catharsis
Excellent read. Interesting and great fun. Well written, keeps the reader wanting enthralled and want to read on. Highly recommended.
Excellent read. Interesting and great fun. Well written, keeps the reader wanting enthralled and want to read on. Highly recommended.
February 8, 2016
The authors note at the beginning of his book is extremely interesting, it is informative and helpful to the understanding of the main topic of the novel.
Philip Sinclair is summoned to Smyth and Baker Solicitors to find out that his Grandmother has recently passed away and named him as her heir.
He also discovers that she has left him quite a considerable amount of money, her very large house and a task.
The task is a treasure hunt, and the treasure is the 'lost' Cathar treasure. Obviously he isn't the only one searching for this treasure, Andre Jolyan and Jacqueline, a well known archaeologist is also on the trail.
I enjoyed the setting of this book, the Languedoc region sounds just perfect, and the fascinating history of the Cathars is one I have read about in a number of novels, this book is predominantly about Philip and his mission.
There are a lot of characters, and the plot progresses at a steady pace.
I loved it,
Philip Sinclair is summoned to Smyth and Baker Solicitors to find out that his Grandmother has recently passed away and named him as her heir.
He also discovers that she has left him quite a considerable amount of money, her very large house and a task.
The task is a treasure hunt, and the treasure is the 'lost' Cathar treasure. Obviously he isn't the only one searching for this treasure, Andre Jolyan and Jacqueline, a well known archaeologist is also on the trail.
I enjoyed the setting of this book, the Languedoc region sounds just perfect, and the fascinating history of the Cathars is one I have read about in a number of novels, this book is predominantly about Philip and his mission.
There are a lot of characters, and the plot progresses at a steady pace.
I loved it,
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews