A TEMPLAR CURSE AN ANCIENT PROPHECY A PULSE-POUNDING RACE AGAINST TIME
In 1314, Jacques de Molay, the last Templar Grand Master uttered a curse as he burned at the stake. Within months, both men responsible for his downfall, the King of France, and the Pope, lay dead.
Centuries later, a Templar descendant discovers the key to unleashing the curse's power: The legendary Seal of Solomon. Learning of the relic’s power, he plans a cataclysmic event which will return civilization to the Dark Ages.
Enter Eden Black. As the countdown begins, Eden is thrust into a web of intrigue that spans centuries, from the final days of the Knights Templar to the shadowy activities of a modern secret society.
But, learning just how deep this conspiracy goes, and who exactly is involved, Eden realizes things are much more deadly that she first thought.
From the crypt of a long-dead templar knight, to the shifting sands of the Sahara, and on to the palaces of Portugal, she uncovers shocking truths about her own destiny and the role she must play in the coming apocalypse.
With heart-pounding action, characters you’ll fall in love with, and a plot that will leave you breathless, The Templar Enigma is a must-read for fans of Dan Brown, Steve Berry, Ernest Dempsey, and Nick Thacker.
WANTED, adventure lovers for hazardous journey. Must be prepared for nail-biting action, constant danger, fear around every corner, with safe return doubtful.
If that sounds like your sort of thing, in your choice of books at least, then come with me...
Hey there, I’m Luke Richardson, and I’m applying for the job as your next favorite author!
As an Amazon bestselling author, I've had the honour of sharing my stories with readers all around the world. Whether you're a history buff, a travel addict, or just looking for a little excitement in your reading, my books are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
I write books that take you on a journey to foreign and exotic places, blending history, adventure, and suspense into a gripping tale.
In my books, you'll find yourself transported to places like the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the glitzy skyscrapers of Hong Kong, or the shady backstreets of Kathmandu in Nepal. But it's not just about the locations; my stories are also filled with fascinating characters, unexpected twists, and edge-of-your-seat action.
It was visiting India for the first time that actually made me want to start writing. The sun had just risen as we landed at Mumbai airport. The taxi journey that followed was one of the most incredible of my life. I watched the city unfold like a story. People washing, children playing, chickens, cows, goats, all beside an eight-lane motorway.
I love sharing my stories and am proud to say that my books have been well-received by readers and reviewers. One of the greatest compliments I get is when people say that my books transport them to a new place. Although people often comment on the loveable characters, intricate plots, and fast-paced storytelling too. And I'm always working hard to bring you even more thrilling adventures.
So, if you're looking for a page-turning read that will take you on a journey to far-off lands, look no further than my books. I guarantee you won't be disappointed!
It’s not often I ( or maybe any of us readers ) can say we have followed an author from the publication of their debut and are still following after 1 series, a joint with another author series and now their latest series…well I can with this author and I think I mentioned in my last review whilst I have always loved the books ( that’s why read them all 😎 ) it is great to see this authors progression and each new book shows more of the authors writing skills
This is Book 5 in the series BUT 100% can be read as a standalone
We are back with Eden and her adventures continue, this time she and the other characters are about to delve into the fascinating and often dangerous world of the ‘Templars’
As always the book’s subject is explained clearly re history and how it has evolved and where it is at now
Absolutely loved/hated the Templars top guy who is a caricature of narcissism and psychopathism……just brilliantly portrayed
Also loved the humour that was in this book, very very funny quips and not so easy to do in a book with so much history and adventure, but it worked soooo well and I was chuckling throughout
The tense drama as always is rampant throughout and Eden finds herself in a position she could never have imagined as the ‘end of days’ prophecy is about to be made a nasty reality via The Templars
Superb authors notes at the end explaining more about events in the book and their history
Luke is one of our finest thriller writers and every book goes further to reinforce that
Another thrilling Eden Black story. There are twists and turns aplenty, as Eden and her trusted friends hunt for an ancient relic of incredible power which, in the wrong hands, could lead to a terrifying future. A powerful group with immense resources enlist her to find it. They cause Eden to doubt her father's motives for wanting the same thing. Who can Eden trust? There is action, adventure and cliffhanger moments almost every step of the way in her most exciting story yet. Highly recommended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Ridiculously silly. I read it for the duel timeline, but there was hardly any 14th Century. Instead I got this 2 dimensional ‘Mary Sue’ protagonist who appears to be the Chosen One, with weak plotting but lots of action. There were no character arcs, and no credible story lines, but the action was pretty good. All in all, very, very silly.
This story is an adventure from the opening pages through the Author's Notes. Any story written by Richardson is well researched, giving the reader an authentic glimpse of history wrapped around our star, Eden Black.
In 1314 , King Philip of France tortured Jacques de Molay, a Grand Master Templar, into confessing to a crime that he did not commit. Molay later retracted his confession, thereby enraging King Philip who ended the Templar's life by burning him at the stake.
Many, many years later, Eden Black and her good friend Athena are kidnapped by a group of Templars whose Grand Master is an unprincipled, cravenly selfish, immoral man who declares. “We are heirs to a legacy that dates to the valiant knights of old.” To this horrid man, the legacy includes hidden relics that will bring him riches, fame and power. The now captured Eden and Athena, given their connections to well known adventurers and through their own capabilities are to find those relics and deliver them to the self entitled heirs.
If you like nonstop action, characters that you can believe in, and just darn good writing, I am sure that you will like this book. I highly recommend it.
This book was a page turner! Definitely higher up on the ranking for the series. I loved that this book felt more like a treasure hunt than most of the others especially with the globe-trotting aspect. Eden’s mistrust for her friends and the tension it created in the first quarter/ half of the book was an interesting choice that shook up what I’ve come to expect from these books. Eden’s relationship with Winslow and Athena continues to shine and the truth we learned of Eden’s origins in book three finally gets revealed to Eden. The historical fiction chapters are always some of the most well-written chapters of the story. All of the Templar history was interesting, plentiful and rooted in real history, and while the villain was super corny, having a secret society for an antagonist is always interesting, especially when it a villainous opposite to Eden’s own organization. The only drawback I could think of for this one was the humor getting to be excessive at times, especially when the characters are held at gunpoint. I wanted to take some of the scenes seriously but the humor made it hard to do so, but that’s a personal preference of mine. Overall, a fine continuation of the series.
A great adventure-thriller from Luke Richardson, The Templar Enigma is a blend of Lara Croft meets Indiana Jones, in a well- researched and enjoyable storyline, packed full of complex, believable characters. Eden Black is part of the House of Selene organisation, along with friends Athena and Baxter and they, plus Eden's surrogate father who leads it, are based on the Balonia at sea, ready for international missions, such as the eponymous enigma. A rival ancient faction led by an egomaniacal tyrant, the legendary End Of Days, a mythically powerfully artefact and a quiverful of clues to unravel, all feature in this riveting drama that will grip you firmly by the imagination throughout. Read the unputdownable The Templar Enigma today, to see if the bad guys get their way, or if Eden can save the day - with a little help from her friends!
Paris, 1314. After watching his Grand Master Jacques de Molay burned at the stake by order of King
Philipe of France and Pope Clement, Brother Thomas of the Knights Templar rides to Lisbon on a desperate mission.
Present day, London.
End of Days countdown: 6 days remaining. Kidnapped. End of Days countdown: 5 days remaining. The Council of the Selene. End of Days countdown: 4 days remaining. Travel. (I’m glad they have this. A lot of books ‘ignore’ that fact that travel takes time, effort and money. End of Days countdown: 3 days remaining. The Siwa oasis. End of Days countdown: 2 days remaining. The Oracle’s temple. End of Days countdown: 1 day remaining. The Quinta De Regaliera tunnels, Portugal. Full circle back to Brother Thomas. End of Days: time’s up! :D Perfect!
Fave scenes: Athena’s race through London, the laser beams, Pyne’s clever feat and escaping the pyre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Another exciting adventure with Eden Black. This time she is searching for a relic that could change history. With an ancient Templar curse, a secret society and twists and turns from the Sahara to Portugal, this book is as gripping as it comes! Who can Eden trust, will the end of days prophecy come true? I have followed Luke since his first book Kathmandu and I totally fell in love with it. However as he has written more the books have got more exciting, with twists and turns galore. Luke was always a master of descriptions and making you really “feel” a place but now the books are even better if that’s even possible. Luke has even added notes at the end so you can see what bits are true history and the origins of his story. If you enjoy this sort of Dan Brown type story you will love this!
The Eden Black series are a masterclass in storytelling. The author Luke Richardson grabs you with his vivid characters, high octane plot twists and immerses you into a world of travel and exploration.
Eden and the team are back for another nail-biting adventure, this time things get very personal for Eden and the search for the Soul Of Solomon. A powerful relic that could either help humanity or destroy it!
But when forced to look at her relationship with her father and the team around her, who can Eden really trust?
The drama and tension builds throughout the book and it reveals more of Eden's past and her relationship with Winslow her father and the head of The Council.
Be prepared to be bamboozled by history and adventure by one of the best thriller authors out there!
The humour had me giggling out loud and the author notes at the end of the book had me wanting to know more about The Templars and the history behind them.
Eden Black and crew fight against her father and the Council of Selene as the End of Days approaches. A thriller from the days of the Knights Templar to the predicted end of the Council and the Order of the All Seeing Eye run by Grand Master Wolff. The Seal of Solomon must be found before the power crazy Wolff attains the ultimate artifact.
Most of the characters are familiar from the earlier books in the series. The Order is new and adds some bad guy spice to the mix. Templar history is added to the storyline as the hunt for the magical artifact Seal of Solomon is chased. Interesting archaeological and historical facts mixed with a killer storyline make this a good read.
Hum, this book wasn't as good as others I have read in this series. Too much jumping from one scene to another without any lead in. Eden, in bed contemplating the day, directly to going somewhere in a car with and complaining about the rough ride, adjoining paragraphs no connecting information at all. And, too much knock down, drag out fighting with no real thought about why whatever the heroes decided to do was probably a really bad idea.
Ah ha, the bad guys will never find me here. Oops, they did. Ah ha now we'll get the treasure. Oops, they followed us again. Repeat, repeat, repeat...
Another action and mystery filled Eden Black thriller.
Luke Richardson books are impossible to put down. This time the Templars want Solomon's ring. It is an artifact that only Eden can find and touch. As always she must run and fight people that want to stop her or kill her. She often does not know who is after her and why. Her father has many more mysteries to explain to her. The lines blur between who is after her and who is trying to help her in each book of the series. It is like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Mission Impossible twisted together with a young female hero.
This is the fifth book in the series, and the action is intense. And since the author is a world traveler, the scenes are drawn in detail from his memories. This time the story takes us from England and France, to Egypt, and to Portugal.
There are fresh turns on thriller tropes that still make this book new and different: secret societies, tough guy encounters, underground passages, and a powerful relic.
Well written in the author’s even paced style, Templar Enigma is high on my list of best thriller novels.
I've enjoyed all the books in this series so far but this one left me cold. I found the heroine totally annoying this time around. She was strident, oblivious, immature and oh so gullible. She believed everything, and I do mean everything, she was told. Bad guy tells her a tale that he is going to save the world and she buys it without question. Come on. And speaking of the bad guy, he was nothing more than a cartoon. No originality. Even his henchmen were cliche. Finally, I think the clues to the artifact were written by a middle schooler. I think I'm done with the series.
GREAT story! I really enjoyed THE TEMPLAR ENIGMA. The quest is interesting with plenty of exciting action. Eden Black is a unique personality and her friends are wonderful supporting characters. Bro. Pyne was pretty fouled up. I hope to see him & his organization again in the future - and I hope he manages to keep his head on straight. Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book with no strings attached.
Not giving anything away, Eden is back in full force, acting more grown up as she is thrown into situations she has only herself to rely on. I love how the story starts centuries before giving you an interesting perspective as the plot unfolds. You have the action you expected as the villains seem to always be one step ahead. The author Luke’s perspective is inthralling as he weaves a very well written plot to its end. Loved this book.
I am absolutely loving these Eden Black books, I've read the first five since the beginning of January (and it's only February) and I am now eager to read the next. I love the humour, the archaeology and ancient history and the hunt for long lost hidden places. Great for anyone who likes an archaeological thriller, with some good humour thrown in. Keep writing these great books, I look forward to reading them all.
In my opinion, The Templar Enigma is the best book of the series so far. The story mixes real historical facts and fiction, it's fast-paced, engaging, and ends with a very significant change in Eden's life. This is one of those books that once you start reading you just cannot stop! Highly recommended! I thank Mr. Richardson for this ARC.
Another great episode in this series I was not disappointed. Eden Black is a very interesting character and the perfect person to lead this crew of misfits for the good of our world. I really recommend this book to everyone that likes adventure
The author continues to describe implausible situations and escapes for Eden, her father, Athena, Baxter and other characters they accumulate as they travel the world solving hideous problems. Thriller is a good description. The reader knows they will escape; just not how and that is what makes it interesting.
Eden Black is drawn into a deadly web of conspiracy. A relic with power that if it gets in the wrong hands would be disaster. Eden and her team are thrown into a very dangerous mission. A page turning thriller.
My first reading of Luke Richardson, this was very enjoyable. Glad to find there are four previous books. Well written, and actually proofread… these are big things in 2024.
Once again no Luke Richardson delivered. The book is exciting with many twist and turns and a joy to read. The characters are real and the story draws you in.
An extremely fast-paced book and series. The characters, a little larger than life but well built upon. Anyone that enjoys action , mystery and intrigue will love this series.
Another fantastic adventure (is the word “fantastic” related to “fantasy”? Lots of adventure, some bad dudes, a hidden treasure and a deadline. All the ingredients for a good adventure story. A sati#fyi g ending, with a peep at the next adventure.
It’s great having someone to live through in these stories. As a kid I loved learning about history and archeology. So to read modern day with myths stories love it! Thank you Luke keep them coming!
Once again another archeological thriller that brings past legend and realities to the pages of Mr. Richardson. As before, I thoroughly enjoy the word play between the characters. Solid intensity that drags you from page to page. Bravo!
The Eden Black Archeological Thrillers are some of the best of their genre. Travel around the world, solve intriguing mysteries, and outwit villains all from these pages, as you enjoy the companionship of enigmatic characters. So, if you haven’t indulged in this series yet, start now!