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1203. Constantinople is besieged ... by the Christians of the 4th Crusade! Under cover of night, a small group of knights flees the doomed city. They’re taking three mysterious chests to Antioch – but never reach their destination. Nowadays, in Rome, Agent Reilly has come with a Professor Sharafi to request access to the Vatican’s archives. But once inside, he reveals that the document they’re here to consult is one that the Church doesn’t want anyone to see...

48 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2014

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About the author

Raymond Khoury

54 books1,262 followers
Raymond Khoury is the author of five consecutive New York Times and #1 international bestsellers, starting with his debut novel, THE LAST TEMPLAR. His books have been translated into 38 languages, with over 10 million copies in print.

Raymond came to writing thrillers from a career in screenwriting, which including the BAFTA award winning BBC series SPOOKS (aka MI:5 in the US) and Waking The Dead. It partly explains why his novels are often described as cinematic and very visual. As fellow bestselling author Steve Berry puts it: "his expertly chosen verbs cause the scenes to leap from the page. You can literally feel the blows as they're landed; wince as the bullets find their marks. He has an intense brand of storytelling all his own."

THE LAST TEMPLAR began its journey to print as Raymond's third original screenplay, written for film in 1996. At the time, a book agent suggested turning it into a novel, and a major NY publisher, the first to read it, offered Raymond a huge advance for the as-yet-unwritten novel, with one condition: "Lose the religion. It's boring. Change the Templars' secret to gold, diamonds, a physical treasure." After much tortured consideration, Raymond turned the offer down, his first potential check from writing. Almost exactly ten years later, his novel, based on that screenplay--religion included--became a global bestseller, hitting #1 in multiple countries and getting adapted into an NBC miniseries.

Raymond's thrillers are based on big themes that interest him such as international politics and conspiracies, fact vs faith, why we age and die, what do we really know about reincarnation, about mind control. He explores these themes in depth, with heavy emphasis on research, and often combines a historical angle to his stories. As such, some of his novels (THE LAST TEMPLAR, THE SANCTUARY, THE TEMPLAR SALVATION, RASPUTIN'S SHADOW) feature dual timelines: the bulk of the stories are set in the present day, interspersed with chapters that take place in the distant past. As Booklist puts it, "Khoury's thrillers engage the reader's mind, even as they move at a breakneck pace. Readers who like their thrillers to have a solid intellectual component will enjoy Khoury's books very much. Given the high quality of each of his novels, it seems fair to say that he may be around for a while."

Raymond's 8th novel is an epic alternate history and time travel story that Publishers Weekly called "ingeniously inventive" and "a classic of the genre": It is already out in the UK as THE OTTOMAN SECRET, and is out on Oct 1 in the US under a different title, EMPIRE OF LIES.

To find out more about him and his work, visit his website at raymondkhoury.com or connect with him on his Facebook page or on Instagram (@author.raymond.khoury).

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for itchy.
2,975 reviews33 followers
July 13, 2020
A ruthless start.

The artwork seems to have changed. Will check later if the artist was indeed changed.
34 reviews
February 23, 2021
After the surprised end on tome 4 I thought what Khoury could add to the plot. Well have we a turnaround? Anxious by tome 6. Petty the artwork. The impact in my point of view is massive. I did prefer the ones on the previous volumes...
631 reviews
July 19, 2023
Sub-par Dan Brown, par excellence - a different artist than the previous volumes, unfortunately not as good...and the car chase with the pope mobile...! Really?!?
Profile Image for Koen.
900 reviews1 follower
April 3, 2016
sorry, but didn't like the continuation of the story, nor the new drawing style... at all..
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

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