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The Last Refuge of the Knights Templar: The Ultimate Secret of the Pike Letters
A modern-day thriller centered on authentic historical letters encoded with Templar and Rosicrucian secrets
• Includes the actual text of recently discovered correspondence between two famous 19th-century Masonic leaders, Albert Pike and Colonel J. W. B. MacLeod Moore
• Follows the protagonists, Thomas and Janet, as they seek to protect the Pike letters’ secret from the Vatican and its fanatical Jesuit hitman as well as others who desire to use the letters’ secret for world domination
• Also includes a short biography of controversial Masonic icon Albert Pike
Centered on recently discovered, authenticated correspondence between two famous 19th-century Masonic leaders, Confederate General Albert Pike and British Colonel James Wilson Bury MacLeod Moore, this modern-day thriller follows Thomas, a direct descendant of Col. Moore, and Janet Rose, a direct descendant of the Merovingian Kings and House of David, as they risk their lives to protect the letters and the Templar and Rosicrucian secrets encoded within them. As Thomas and Janet discover, everyone--from the Church to the White House to Confederate sympathizers and the KKK--seeks the ancient knowledge contained within the letters, knowledge that would allow a singular entity to control the world and bring all of the great religions to their knees.
Pitted against a psychotic and sexually perverted Jesuit priest, tasked by the Vatican’s inner circle to retrieve the Pike letters, the couple is aided by two Templar guardians and a modern-day practicing alchemist, Janet’s grandfather. As Thomas and Janet’s love for one another grows, the couple transcends to a higher level of understanding, unaware that they are following the same ancient morals and dogma found within the 33 degrees of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, as defined by none other than Albert Pike himself.
Part fact, part fiction, the novel, with its 33 initiatory chapters, provides a rare glimpse into the inner circles of modern-day Freemasonry, along with revelations of ancient alliances between Native Americans and the Templars. Set in Georgetown, in the heart of Washington, D.C., the story ends with a dramatic unveiling of the ultimate New World secret sought by so many factions: the location of the last Knights Templar refuge in the New World, where the lost treasure of the Templars, including sacred knowledge of the Holy Family--the descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene--remains to this day.
• Includes the actual text of recently discovered correspondence between two famous 19th-century Masonic leaders, Albert Pike and Colonel J. W. B. MacLeod Moore
• Follows the protagonists, Thomas and Janet, as they seek to protect the Pike letters’ secret from the Vatican and its fanatical Jesuit hitman as well as others who desire to use the letters’ secret for world domination
• Also includes a short biography of controversial Masonic icon Albert Pike
Centered on recently discovered, authenticated correspondence between two famous 19th-century Masonic leaders, Confederate General Albert Pike and British Colonel James Wilson Bury MacLeod Moore, this modern-day thriller follows Thomas, a direct descendant of Col. Moore, and Janet Rose, a direct descendant of the Merovingian Kings and House of David, as they risk their lives to protect the letters and the Templar and Rosicrucian secrets encoded within them. As Thomas and Janet discover, everyone--from the Church to the White House to Confederate sympathizers and the KKK--seeks the ancient knowledge contained within the letters, knowledge that would allow a singular entity to control the world and bring all of the great religions to their knees.
Pitted against a psychotic and sexually perverted Jesuit priest, tasked by the Vatican’s inner circle to retrieve the Pike letters, the couple is aided by two Templar guardians and a modern-day practicing alchemist, Janet’s grandfather. As Thomas and Janet’s love for one another grows, the couple transcends to a higher level of understanding, unaware that they are following the same ancient morals and dogma found within the 33 degrees of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, as defined by none other than Albert Pike himself.
Part fact, part fiction, the novel, with its 33 initiatory chapters, provides a rare glimpse into the inner circles of modern-day Freemasonry, along with revelations of ancient alliances between Native Americans and the Templars. Set in Georgetown, in the heart of Washington, D.C., the story ends with a dramatic unveiling of the ultimate New World secret sought by so many factions: the location of the last Knights Templar refuge in the New World, where the lost treasure of the Templars, including sacred knowledge of the Holy Family--the descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene--remains to this day.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 7, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 5, 2020
I am very interested in Civil War and medieval history so the description of this book piqued my interest. I thought it would really focus on Albert Pike's letters. While the overall story was intriguing, it tried to cover so many different aspects that I was overwhelmed by so many intertwining historical events: Masons, the Crusades, history of the Knights Templar, the Jesuits, Judaism, the supposed bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene--just to name a few. Mixed with weird sexual overtones and an alchemist's white powder which acted like a Viagra, even for a man in his late 90's--it was just too unrealistic to be historical fiction for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Destiny Books for an ARC. My review is voluntary.
Thanks to NetGalley and Destiny Books for an ARC. My review is voluntary.
February 7, 2020
The Last Refuge of the Knights Templar – William F. Mann
I was given an advanced copy of this book from the publisher, in order to provide an honest review.
I have not read any of William F. Mann’s previous books. What initially drew me in and made me curious about this book was the subject matter, the Knights Templar. The fact that this is a historical fiction novel that centred around the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail, a subject that has always held much fascination for me.
It is actually one of the few mysteries of this world that I have actually researched myself. Like many other people around the world, the mystery of the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail is something that has captivated me since I first learnt of it. The story of the Knights Templar and the treasure they purportedly found in Solomon’s Temple is a historical mystery that always fascinates. So, I was really excited to have this chance to ready this story.
Unfortunately, I was left a little underwhelmed with this story. It took a good few chapters to actually get into the flow and motion of the story. To feel as if something was actually happening with the characters and their journeys. It initially felt as though I was reading someone’s factual findings and research of the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail, rather than reading an historical fiction novel on the subject.
Once I was actually able to push through this, I started to enjoy the story that was unfolding a little bit more.
I found though some of the dialogue and interactions between the different characters to be quite corny. I felt very cheesy and fake when reading it, a little cringeworthy at times.
However, if you are able to move past the dryness of the first few chapters and can overcome the slightly cheesy character dialogue and interactions it is an okay read.
I did like the premise of the story on the whole. I just feel maybe if the first few chapters weren’t so dry and had less of a research paper feel I might have enjoyed it a lot more. This would have really helped the flow of the story and reader engagement in the book.
I was given an advanced copy of this book from the publisher, in order to provide an honest review.
I have not read any of William F. Mann’s previous books. What initially drew me in and made me curious about this book was the subject matter, the Knights Templar. The fact that this is a historical fiction novel that centred around the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail, a subject that has always held much fascination for me.
It is actually one of the few mysteries of this world that I have actually researched myself. Like many other people around the world, the mystery of the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail is something that has captivated me since I first learnt of it. The story of the Knights Templar and the treasure they purportedly found in Solomon’s Temple is a historical mystery that always fascinates. So, I was really excited to have this chance to ready this story.
Unfortunately, I was left a little underwhelmed with this story. It took a good few chapters to actually get into the flow and motion of the story. To feel as if something was actually happening with the characters and their journeys. It initially felt as though I was reading someone’s factual findings and research of the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail, rather than reading an historical fiction novel on the subject.
Once I was actually able to push through this, I started to enjoy the story that was unfolding a little bit more.
I found though some of the dialogue and interactions between the different characters to be quite corny. I felt very cheesy and fake when reading it, a little cringeworthy at times.
However, if you are able to move past the dryness of the first few chapters and can overcome the slightly cheesy character dialogue and interactions it is an okay read.
I did like the premise of the story on the whole. I just feel maybe if the first few chapters weren’t so dry and had less of a research paper feel I might have enjoyed it a lot more. This would have really helped the flow of the story and reader engagement in the book.
December 9, 2020
This was totally different from what I expected. I have a historical interest in the Knights Templar, who were disbanded and mostly executed in 1309. I didn't know that the Freemasons had adopted the name for their own organisation, although I've seen other modern groups do the same.
This story is set in American Civil War times and centered on a historical figure called Albert Pike, who was a general in the Confederate army and a Freemason.
The writing was reasonably good, apart from some of the dialogue, but this just isn't an area of interest for me. I feel the book is mis-titled, though I should have read the description more closely. The first few lines supported the impression that it would actually be about the Knights Templar from the title.
If someone wants to read about Civil War Confederacy and Freemasonry of the time, this should appeal. The connections to the Templars are certainly pure fiction though.
This story is set in American Civil War times and centered on a historical figure called Albert Pike, who was a general in the Confederate army and a Freemason.
The writing was reasonably good, apart from some of the dialogue, but this just isn't an area of interest for me. I feel the book is mis-titled, though I should have read the description more closely. The first few lines supported the impression that it would actually be about the Knights Templar from the title.
If someone wants to read about Civil War Confederacy and Freemasonry of the time, this should appeal. The connections to the Templars are certainly pure fiction though.
May 25, 2025
A Hoax
William F. Mann, an author with a monumental reputation for being the worst kind of speculative scholar, rivaling Erich von Däniken, who has duped readers by republishing an older book under a new title, now sinks to a new low by fabricating phony "evidence". I'm predicting that this book, The Last Refuse ;) of the Knights Templar, will come to be known as the "Mann Hoax", like the "Taxil Hoax", which exposed as absolute bunk, the letter dated August 15, 1871, circulating on the internet, supposedly written by Albert Pike to Giuseppe Mazzini, predicting three world wars. In the preface, Mann claimed that four years ago (from publishing date of 2020) he discovered, in the archives of the Sovereign Great Priory-Knights Templar of Canada, private letters between Albert Pike and W. J. B. Macleod Moore. At the beginning of his novel, there appears only one facsimile of a letter, which does indeed look authentic and is on official letterhead. Pike's handwriting is poor. Mann doesn't print its text, nor offer any explanation for its inclusion. I suspect from this, that Mann is incapable of deciphering original Pike letters at all. I managed and it is essentially an official endorsement of Moore's new grand priory in Canada and compliments his efforts, as well as shares, briefly, Pikes views on Masonic Templarism. It's not private correspondence. Pike speaks as a superior officer to Moore, although he mentions a personal detail in the close "Just now I am confined to my room by an attack of rheumatism gout!" This official recognition of the grand priory in Canada would've been carefully preserved for posterity. I suspect Mann of using this single authentic letter, as leverage to support his claims about finding a total of 33, as he said in one interview. In the preface, Mann claims these letters are real and have been historically verified and that his novel will reveal the exact content of some of those letters. The text of half a dozen more appear in the story. No more facsimiles were included nor any documentation on how each letter was authenticated. To date, Mann has refused to share them with other scholars or qualified historians to officially and publicly verify them. In an interview he said "I just felt I should fictionalize the story around these letters so that the reader can decide to what degree the letters are real [to avoid being accused of taking sides, politically]". This defies all logic. Only his own writing about the letters has any bearing on readers' perceptions of his political views. If he actually had 'the goods', he would not withhold the evidence but would eagerly display his find in a non-fictional way, especially after already publishing their content. One of the letters in the story, dated August 21, 1871, is a blatant attempt to revive belief in the whole nonsense about Pike's three world wars vision again by referring to that phony August 15 letter "...Only then will I be able to truly escape my horrible dreams, such as the one that I experienced in early August of this very year...It was so vivid and real that I felt compelled to convey my visions this past August 15th to Director Giuseppe Mazzini." I see a red flag just in the language used here. Anyone sane and literate would not be referring to a letter written less than a week ago and in the same month as "early August of this very year" or repeat it, for emphasis, with "this past August 15th". I'm familiar with Mann's other writings and he rambles in the same style that this letter does. Mann is even aware of the habit and so covered for it in the close "The time is early morning and I have been rambling of late." The facsimile letter reads much more like the real Pike and sticks to order business, which is the only type of letter Pike would commit to official letterhead. Private letters, no matter who it was between and especially if they were of a conspiratory nature, would've been on regular paper, without titles and ceremonial formalities and sent to the recipient's home address. They would never show up in the order's official archives. The content of the other letters in the story conveniently support William F. Mann's pet theories written about in his other books on the Holy Grail and Templers in America and resemble his writing. One letter dated June 21, 1865, around the time Pike was living in Canada, is addressed to President Andrew Johnson. The supposed recipient was in Washington D.C. Why on earth would that end up in the archives of the Canadian Knights Templar, rather than the United States Library of Congress' Andrew Johnson Papers collection? In it, Pike supposedly wrote the word "Merovingian". It never appeared in any of his writing and was popularized only in the 20th century in one of Mann's favorite books, The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail, written by fellow Hoaxers Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. Further on, it says "Without doubt you have heard sordid rumors of my involvement as a General of the Confederate States Army and in the assassination of your immediate predecessor, Abraham Lincoln...I want to assure you, though, that I had no hand in such a wicked occasion...my esteemed colleagues have presented to you a petition on my behalf...If forgiven,..." That Pike had been a Confederate General, was a matter of fact. He would've been insulting President Johnson's intelligence to call it a 'sordid rumor'. He was on the lamb, escaping official charges of insubordination and treason, for fomenting revolt among local Indian tribes, while in Arkansas. Specifically, Maj. Gen. Thomas Hindman charged Pike with mishandling money and material, and ordered his arrest, after Pike refused to hand over weapons and Native American treaty funds, which Hindman had declared illegal. Johnson's 1867 pardon of Pike first involved Pike's 'fessing up to the whole affair. It had nothing to do with another pet theory of Mann's, which he elaborated on in the book's preface "It has been purported, although never totally confirmed, that Pike was a founding member of the paramilitary espionage organization known as the Knights of the Golden Circle, which was first formed in 1854 and was intimately involved in the conspiracy to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. It has also been said that Pike was the only conspirator in Lincoln's assassination to escape hanging..." In two different interviews, Mann went so far as to say that Pike was a Knight of the Golden Circle, as if it were fact. There is no hard evidence for any of it, so Mann has attempted to concoct some in this phony letter. Glaring discrepancies can be found in every letter, but I'll rest my case for now. The jig is up. Mann is the only possible author of 100% of the text in the book. His tortured attempt at fiction and his own self-enamored, pseudo-Masonic philosophical ramblings, are not worth the time to elaborate on. Albert Pike and Freemasonry enthusiasts should seek elsewhere for reliable information. Mann sells out both, pedaling his negative fantasies for a little attention.
William F. Mann, an author with a monumental reputation for being the worst kind of speculative scholar, rivaling Erich von Däniken, who has duped readers by republishing an older book under a new title, now sinks to a new low by fabricating phony "evidence". I'm predicting that this book, The Last Refuse ;) of the Knights Templar, will come to be known as the "Mann Hoax", like the "Taxil Hoax", which exposed as absolute bunk, the letter dated August 15, 1871, circulating on the internet, supposedly written by Albert Pike to Giuseppe Mazzini, predicting three world wars. In the preface, Mann claimed that four years ago (from publishing date of 2020) he discovered, in the archives of the Sovereign Great Priory-Knights Templar of Canada, private letters between Albert Pike and W. J. B. Macleod Moore. At the beginning of his novel, there appears only one facsimile of a letter, which does indeed look authentic and is on official letterhead. Pike's handwriting is poor. Mann doesn't print its text, nor offer any explanation for its inclusion. I suspect from this, that Mann is incapable of deciphering original Pike letters at all. I managed and it is essentially an official endorsement of Moore's new grand priory in Canada and compliments his efforts, as well as shares, briefly, Pikes views on Masonic Templarism. It's not private correspondence. Pike speaks as a superior officer to Moore, although he mentions a personal detail in the close "Just now I am confined to my room by an attack of rheumatism gout!" This official recognition of the grand priory in Canada would've been carefully preserved for posterity. I suspect Mann of using this single authentic letter, as leverage to support his claims about finding a total of 33, as he said in one interview. In the preface, Mann claims these letters are real and have been historically verified and that his novel will reveal the exact content of some of those letters. The text of half a dozen more appear in the story. No more facsimiles were included nor any documentation on how each letter was authenticated. To date, Mann has refused to share them with other scholars or qualified historians to officially and publicly verify them. In an interview he said "I just felt I should fictionalize the story around these letters so that the reader can decide to what degree the letters are real [to avoid being accused of taking sides, politically]". This defies all logic. Only his own writing about the letters has any bearing on readers' perceptions of his political views. If he actually had 'the goods', he would not withhold the evidence but would eagerly display his find in a non-fictional way, especially after already publishing their content. One of the letters in the story, dated August 21, 1871, is a blatant attempt to revive belief in the whole nonsense about Pike's three world wars vision again by referring to that phony August 15 letter "...Only then will I be able to truly escape my horrible dreams, such as the one that I experienced in early August of this very year...It was so vivid and real that I felt compelled to convey my visions this past August 15th to Director Giuseppe Mazzini." I see a red flag just in the language used here. Anyone sane and literate would not be referring to a letter written less than a week ago and in the same month as "early August of this very year" or repeat it, for emphasis, with "this past August 15th". I'm familiar with Mann's other writings and he rambles in the same style that this letter does. Mann is even aware of the habit and so covered for it in the close "The time is early morning and I have been rambling of late." The facsimile letter reads much more like the real Pike and sticks to order business, which is the only type of letter Pike would commit to official letterhead. Private letters, no matter who it was between and especially if they were of a conspiratory nature, would've been on regular paper, without titles and ceremonial formalities and sent to the recipient's home address. They would never show up in the order's official archives. The content of the other letters in the story conveniently support William F. Mann's pet theories written about in his other books on the Holy Grail and Templers in America and resemble his writing. One letter dated June 21, 1865, around the time Pike was living in Canada, is addressed to President Andrew Johnson. The supposed recipient was in Washington D.C. Why on earth would that end up in the archives of the Canadian Knights Templar, rather than the United States Library of Congress' Andrew Johnson Papers collection? In it, Pike supposedly wrote the word "Merovingian". It never appeared in any of his writing and was popularized only in the 20th century in one of Mann's favorite books, The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail, written by fellow Hoaxers Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. Further on, it says "Without doubt you have heard sordid rumors of my involvement as a General of the Confederate States Army and in the assassination of your immediate predecessor, Abraham Lincoln...I want to assure you, though, that I had no hand in such a wicked occasion...my esteemed colleagues have presented to you a petition on my behalf...If forgiven,..." That Pike had been a Confederate General, was a matter of fact. He would've been insulting President Johnson's intelligence to call it a 'sordid rumor'. He was on the lamb, escaping official charges of insubordination and treason, for fomenting revolt among local Indian tribes, while in Arkansas. Specifically, Maj. Gen. Thomas Hindman charged Pike with mishandling money and material, and ordered his arrest, after Pike refused to hand over weapons and Native American treaty funds, which Hindman had declared illegal. Johnson's 1867 pardon of Pike first involved Pike's 'fessing up to the whole affair. It had nothing to do with another pet theory of Mann's, which he elaborated on in the book's preface "It has been purported, although never totally confirmed, that Pike was a founding member of the paramilitary espionage organization known as the Knights of the Golden Circle, which was first formed in 1854 and was intimately involved in the conspiracy to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. It has also been said that Pike was the only conspirator in Lincoln's assassination to escape hanging..." In two different interviews, Mann went so far as to say that Pike was a Knight of the Golden Circle, as if it were fact. There is no hard evidence for any of it, so Mann has attempted to concoct some in this phony letter. Glaring discrepancies can be found in every letter, but I'll rest my case for now. The jig is up. Mann is the only possible author of 100% of the text in the book. His tortured attempt at fiction and his own self-enamored, pseudo-Masonic philosophical ramblings, are not worth the time to elaborate on. Albert Pike and Freemasonry enthusiasts should seek elsewhere for reliable information. Mann sells out both, pedaling his negative fantasies for a little attention.
April 14, 2020
The Last Refuge of the Knights Templar by William F Mann is a thriller/romance about the modern Masons, descended from the Knights Templar of old. I am not a huge believer in conspiracy theories but one that always fascinates me is the Story of Prince Henry Sinclair and how he sailed across the Atlantic to bring the Templar treasure, possibly including the Holy Grail and secret it here, possibly with the Native Americans he found here. There is Templar royalty: the direct descendants of Jesus of Nazareth and Mary Magdalene. This story focuses on the letters Albert Pike to his compatriot in Canada defining the 33 levels of Masonry. Thomas Moore, a descendant of Pike's correspondent has come across the missing first 32 of the letters and has arrived at the Masonic library in Washington DC to do some research. There he meets Janet Rose, a lovely young scholar who is a member of a well-known Masonic family and they fall in love, pretty much at first sight.
For the first half of the book were toggle back and forth between Pike and Janet and Thomas. Janet's grandfather, David Rose, is an alchemist and modern day expert on all things Masonic; Janet's father is a very wealthy financial broker and very involved in the Masons, as well, so this is definitely a family pursuit: interpreting Thomas' letters to discover where the treasure has been hidden by Pike and his cohorts. Of course, someone else wants it, too: a Jesuit priest who works for a secret faction within the Vatican. He is led a merry chase by Janet and Thomas who are aided by a top-notch security team from Janet's father, Soloman. It was an interesting story, written by a master of all things the theory implies. I found it to be an engaging novel, giving me new information about the whole business. I enjoyed the read. I recommend it.
I was given a free ARC of The Last Refuge of the Knights Templar by Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations are solely my own. #netgalley #thelastrefugeoftheknightstemplar
For the first half of the book were toggle back and forth between Pike and Janet and Thomas. Janet's grandfather, David Rose, is an alchemist and modern day expert on all things Masonic; Janet's father is a very wealthy financial broker and very involved in the Masons, as well, so this is definitely a family pursuit: interpreting Thomas' letters to discover where the treasure has been hidden by Pike and his cohorts. Of course, someone else wants it, too: a Jesuit priest who works for a secret faction within the Vatican. He is led a merry chase by Janet and Thomas who are aided by a top-notch security team from Janet's father, Soloman. It was an interesting story, written by a master of all things the theory implies. I found it to be an engaging novel, giving me new information about the whole business. I enjoyed the read. I recommend it.
I was given a free ARC of The Last Refuge of the Knights Templar by Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations are solely my own. #netgalley #thelastrefugeoftheknightstemplar
January 2, 2023
Despite being a work of fiction, the book itself is based on the true discovery of letters written by (Grand Commander of the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite, USA) Albert Pike to W. J. B. MacLeod Moore (Grand Master of the Great Priory of Knights Templar—Canada). For this, the book gets an additional star in my rating.
This stated, the book also bases its story upon various false suppositions, such as the unprovable, libelous notion that Albert Pike was a leader (or even a member) of the KKK, which claim traces only to secondhand/thirdhand sources published decades after Pike's death.
The book's fictional narrative also paints the Roman Catholic Church (particularly the Order of Jesus, or the Jesuits) in a bad light, reminiscent of the claims of various conspiracy theorists. The author certainly does no favors for Catholic-Masonic relations.
The author also sleights the US President of the time (the majority of the book takes place in 2020) and sleights a few other religious groups, including Latter-day Saints (incorrectly referenced as "Mormons") and Evangelical Christians.
The dialogue and portrayed inner-thoughts of the characters sometimes seem out of left-field and are also somewhat cringeworthy. Those that cause one to cringe the most (aside from the repeated, libelous references to Pike having been a member of the KKK and sleights against the Roman Catholic Church) compose a lot of the romantic dialogue/inner-thoughts, especially from the female character's point-of-view (it's too obvious that her dialogue and thoughts were written by a dude) and the sexual themes/overtones throughout the book.
The fact that the author, who was (at the time of publication) also the head of the Great Priory of Knights Templar—Canada (an organization for Christian Masons), wrote such a book boggles my mind. I feel pretty underwhelmed and disappointed.
This stated, the book also bases its story upon various false suppositions, such as the unprovable, libelous notion that Albert Pike was a leader (or even a member) of the KKK, which claim traces only to secondhand/thirdhand sources published decades after Pike's death.
The book's fictional narrative also paints the Roman Catholic Church (particularly the Order of Jesus, or the Jesuits) in a bad light, reminiscent of the claims of various conspiracy theorists. The author certainly does no favors for Catholic-Masonic relations.
The author also sleights the US President of the time (the majority of the book takes place in 2020) and sleights a few other religious groups, including Latter-day Saints (incorrectly referenced as "Mormons") and Evangelical Christians.
The dialogue and portrayed inner-thoughts of the characters sometimes seem out of left-field and are also somewhat cringeworthy. Those that cause one to cringe the most (aside from the repeated, libelous references to Pike having been a member of the KKK and sleights against the Roman Catholic Church) compose a lot of the romantic dialogue/inner-thoughts, especially from the female character's point-of-view (it's too obvious that her dialogue and thoughts were written by a dude) and the sexual themes/overtones throughout the book.
The fact that the author, who was (at the time of publication) also the head of the Great Priory of Knights Templar—Canada (an organization for Christian Masons), wrote such a book boggles my mind. I feel pretty underwhelmed and disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2020
In this new book, the Knights Templar are given new life. Based on historical letters written by Albert Pike the story brings the knights Templar to North American. The Rose family led by David Rose are strong supports of Freemasonry. Janet, the daughter, searches for the lost letters of Pike. As always the Catholic Church has also sent a agent to find and destroy the letters.
Janet meets Thomas Moore, descendant of Col.William Jamer Bury Macleod Moore, to whom the letters are addressed. They quickly join forces, fall in love and face dangerous situations to accomplish their goal of finding the letter s.
Having read many of these type books I found the new twist of the Templars reaching North Americsn refreshing. Readers will enjoy the mix of history and fiction as the letters are found.
Recommended. YA and adult
Janet meets Thomas Moore, descendant of Col.William Jamer Bury Macleod Moore, to whom the letters are addressed. They quickly join forces, fall in love and face dangerous situations to accomplish their goal of finding the letter s.
Having read many of these type books I found the new twist of the Templars reaching North Americsn refreshing. Readers will enjoy the mix of history and fiction as the letters are found.
Recommended. YA and adult
March 24, 2020
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. It almost makes me apologetic, not liking this book after being given a free advanced copy, but it felt all over the place, like the author couldn't decide what to concentrate on and considering it was billed as historical fiction, it all felt way too unbelievable. The idea really intrigued me, the story being relayed through letters seemed a brave choice, unfortunately for me William Mann doesn't pull it off. 2 Stars
October 9, 2021
As a Freemason, I enjoyed this book. It has a little bit of a Dan Brown feel to it once you get into the heart of the story, but I particularly enjoyed the Scottish Rite and tarot references. To the uninitiated, some of the terms may seem confusing, but I think the author does a good job explaining what’s important where it’s necessary. I have a newfound interest in Albert Pike, so my next task is to look into these letters and determine what about this story is factual.
April 17, 2020
Thankyou to NetGalley, the publishers and the author, William F Mann, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of The Last Refuge of the Knights Templars in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I liked reading this book. It is a blend of fact and fiction that I felt worked with the premise of this story.
Worth a read.
I liked reading this book. It is a blend of fact and fiction that I felt worked with the premise of this story.
Worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews