The Relic of the King

The Crypt Trilogy #1

by Bill Thompson

Buried beneath the streets of London are the answers to an ancient mystery

• A wealthy man has secrets he struggles to keep hidden
• A hundred people he blackmailed want his painful death
• A partner will stop at nothing to keep ancient artifacts his and his alone. Whatever it takes, there will be no sharing of the fame he’ll receive.

Deep below a quaint street in London there’s a secret room. A sarcophagus has rested there for a thousand years. When an astonishing set of diaries is found, secrets lost for centuries are revealed. Even the journals themselves are amazing. They were written by a monarch whom history says never existed.

Roberto Maas, a businessman who’s not what he appears to be, searches a medieval crypt for answers. You’d expect to find bodies in a crypt, but along with ancient corpses there are modern ones too. Roberto must be wary – his psychotic partner has dark secrets of his own.

The mystery unravels and time begins to run out. Roberto Maas races to learn what the discoveries beneath the ancient city really mean.

Genres: Thriller

343 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2015

About the author

If variety is the spice of life, author Bill Thompson’s life so far has been spicy for sure! Over the years, and in no particular order, he’s been

• an international insurance broker
• a mayor
• head of a state prison board
• a stockbroker
• a newspaper reporter
• a Bourbon Street piano player
• a corporate entrepreneur
• presented to Queen Elizabeth
• in jail (briefly … and wrongly!)
• a goat herder
• a church organist and choir member
• a real estate broker
• a world traveler
• president of an animal shelter
• a husband, father and grandfather
• an observer at a knighting in Westminster
• a fluent Russian speaker
• a passenger on the Concorde
• a caregiver
• a lifetime dog lover
• an award-winning novelist

Reviews

[Nicole Koop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

When I started this book, I was a little bored but kept with it. I'm so glad I did!!!! This book was so good. I'm a HUGE history buff & this story had me doing a lot of my own research. I loved every second of the history in this novel. It was very well written. The authors research & storytelling was great

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great way to start a new series

I absolutely loved this book. A new twist on an old legend, King Arthur and Camelot. There are so many twists and turns the reader is always engaged and thoroughly swept away.

[Elena May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not finish

The book started out with nice flow good story line, then it got way too weird for me. (Spoiler - the "diary" of the Queen as a sick sex seeker was too far fetched and the double cross happened too many times for me.)

[Clinton Gann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad

Interesting twist on the King Arthur legend. Interesting group of characters that makes for a very unique way of telling a story. Decent but some later characters could have used some additional background.

[Caralynne M. Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

History, Mystery & Murder

Really enjoyed this exciting story of mysteries of the recent and ancient past. Identities and personalities concealed, revenge of enemies & friends, murders for hire & for satisfaction. Read this book. Can't wait to read the next one.

[Sherrie T · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge Bill Thompson fan, but this one let me down. It was all I could do to finish the book. The characters just weren't fleshed out. I didn't care what happened to either of them OR the artifacts.

[patriese jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

This is one of the best books i have ever read. It Kept my attention from star to finish the amount of detail he have put in his book it's amazing. I literally couldn't put it down. I am going to read every last 1 of his books just because this 1 was so good.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill is a great and engaging author. I love themes of his books. I liked this book and will read more but I like the Sadler books a little more!

[Jessica Ellison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced thriller

This book was a thrilling ride across many countries. I loved how it included historical fact and fiction and wove them together into a believable story.

[Shannon Kayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I read one of his books I just lose myself in the characters.

[Amanda Hummel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't even know where to start with how poorly this "spy thriller" was written. Even suspension of disbelief made this hard to choke down.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun ride, I’m eager to read the next one

[Ted Mathews · Rating 1 out of 5]

I give up ...

I have reached page 179 and I now give up .

Chapters 2 through nine were repetitive, redundant, and mostly unnecessary. Having once made the point in chapter 2 the author continues to repeat and rephrase unnecessarily trivial details.

Now that he's posited a second concept he seems to be doing the same thing again .

So far this is not the story that I expected the plot that I anticipated or anything of interest to me specifically or generally .

I'm gonna move on now to anyone of 10 other books that I've already lined up to read . I am leaving this warning to those of you who are as easily bored as I. if you enjoy reading interesting books go elsewhere

Ted

[Nola · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely give up on a book but at 44% when the bookstore owner finds the "pornographic diaries" signed "G.P." and they are supposedly King Arthur's queen, it was just too much. Never mind the fact that the person who wants it all is a young millionaire who had been sold to a Russian brothel as a child. Or the people who discover what they think is the lost crypt of the king under their bookstore but they don't want anyone to know it while they proceed to break open ancient locked metal boxes, touch centuries-old books (letting their customers do the same?) and destroy the lid of a sarcophagus just to see who is in it.... nope, had to put it down.

[Ian Straughan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that was "unusual"... Some strange characters that all happen to become millionaires, to allow them to conveniently follow their chosen interests! The main character being a teenage rent boy, then blackmailer and ultimately Swiss businessman and relic hunter, who just happens to be a hit man for the CIA in his spare time! A bizarre ending too. Quirky writing and inaccuracies about the British staging - there are no "sidewalks" in London... This is a trilogy but you will have to persevere.

[Ralph Strope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different

This book is a different read. It bounces around a lot and seems to lack a central theme, which I tend to prefer. It was enjoyable enough that I did finish this book, but will probably not finish the series.

[Kathryn Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a couple of very strange characters here - both wrapped up in the pursuit of proving that King Arthur, Guenevere, et al actually existed - a grand and dangerous adventure.

[pamela boseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The relic of the king

This was a great read. A lot of twists and turn. The book holds you interest while waiting to read what will happen next.