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The Templar Concordat
When the truth is your greatest danger, and the enemy knows the truth, things can only go downhill when the enemy finally gets the proof. And that's the proof the Hashashin get when they steal what the Vatican doesn't even know it has. Now the infallible decrees of two Twelfth Century popes and three kings, stolen by the Hashashin, threaten to catapult the bigotry, bias, and religious blood baths of the Third Crusade straight into the Twenty-First Century. When Templars Sean Callahan and Marie Curtis are drawn into the mess, they face an ancient enemy that has already nearly won the battle, a newly elected Mexican pope being undermined by entrenched Vatican powers, world class scholars who will sell their prestige to the highest bidder, and terrorists lingering over lattes in sidewalk cafes. Moving from Rome to London, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia, Callahan and Curtis are desperate to find some way to stem the success the Hashashin are having enlisting the majority of moderate Muslims in their Jihad. Out maneuvered at each step by the Hashashin, only a last ditch roll of the dice has any chance of success. But it's the only chance they have.
"If you loved the idea of Dan Brown's bestsellers, but weren't so
crazy about all the arty esoterica, Terrence O'Brien's The Templar
Concordat could hit your sweet spot...." Kindle Nation Daily
"I loved this book and am still kicking myself for resisting its sirencall for so long. The history and details woven skillfully into the action and well rounded characters made for an exciting read..." -Sandra Gilbert 122,000 words - appx 400 pages
"If you loved the idea of Dan Brown's bestsellers, but weren't so
crazy about all the arty esoterica, Terrence O'Brien's The Templar
Concordat could hit your sweet spot...." Kindle Nation Daily
"I loved this book and am still kicking myself for resisting its sirencall for so long. The history and details woven skillfully into the action and well rounded characters made for an exciting read..." -Sandra Gilbert 122,000 words - appx 400 pages
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2010
63 people are currently reading
575 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
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January 9, 2011Well, I wrote the book. What more can I say?
February 9, 2022
Finished reading this last night and really enjoyed it. An excellent cast of characters, a fascinating plot and I loved the twist at the end. This definitely goes on my list of books to read again.
March 6, 2012
After only a day of reading I had to put it down. It started off promising but quickly went downhill from there. What distracted me the most was the inane conversations between many of the characters not to mention the over description down to the minute detail. So glad I only borrowed it as opposed to spending any amount of money on it. With some fine tuning & deleting of large portions of conversation where the same thing was said over & over again using different words would go a long way in making me care about reading any further.
April 26, 2011
The book was good, but I did not have time to read it quickly enough to keep it all in order in my head. Hit and miss reading does not allow me to make a legitimate review. If you like Templar/historical reads, this one would be good for you.
July 20, 2017
Unnown agreement (concordat) plus little known treaty
Violence and theft at the Vatican. The Templars have some decisions, to work or not.
People who want to incite worldwide violence by "discovering" old treaty, pitting Christians against Moslems. How can the Templars help?
Violence and theft at the Vatican. The Templars have some decisions, to work or not.
People who want to incite worldwide violence by "discovering" old treaty, pitting Christians against Moslems. How can the Templars help?
May 12, 2017
The Templars bought into modern times.
this was ok but I felt more could be have been done with it, at times it was a bit too predictable
this was ok but I felt more could be have been done with it, at times it was a bit too predictable
April 29, 2018
Templars, the Pope, a secret treaty
Who could ask for anything more. I loved the twist and turns or the story. It kept my interest through the entitreity of the book.
Who could ask for anything more. I loved the twist and turns or the story. It kept my interest through the entitreity of the book.
August 18, 2018
Good read....
Exciting, attention-grabbing storyline. Well created characters that are what one expects from Templars, the Vatican and extremists. Perfect beach or pool read.
Exciting, attention-grabbing storyline. Well created characters that are what one expects from Templars, the Vatican and extremists. Perfect beach or pool read.
April 10, 2022
The Templar Concordat
Very well written, the plot twisted a couple of times, story line sounds plausible. Will read again. End of story.
Very well written, the plot twisted a couple of times, story line sounds plausible. Will read again. End of story.
November 22, 2025
I don't remember
This book is in my Kindle library as read.
I do not remember reading this book at all. So, I actually have no review.
This book is in my Kindle library as read.
I do not remember reading this book at all. So, I actually have no review.
December 9, 2012
This was definitely a different sort of Templar novel. "The Templar Concordat" is a novel that supposes that the Knights Templar went underground during their persecution by King Phillip of France in the 1300s. They reorganized and hid behind shell orders and companies and exist even today.
The Concordat is an agreement between the Church and the Templars giving each Pope the opportunity to form an alliance with the Templars. Should the Pope reject the alliance, the Church and the Templars agree to leave each other alone. At the beginning of the novel, the Church and the Templars are in a non-alliance phase. Information comes to the Templars about a planned attack on the Vatican, but they can do nothing with the information because of the Concordat. During the attack, a formerly unknown treaty between two 12th century Popes (one started the process and died while it was being completed) and three European kings is stolen. The main story of the novel is based on this treaty and how the Templars, the Church, and the Hashashin deal with the treaty.
This was a well written novel. Mr. O'Brien has created some great characters that the readers can relate to. The plot is well conceived and provides both a good deal of intrigue and action to keep the readers' attention. I especially like the character of Pope Dominic I, simply because he wasn't your stereotypical Pope. Also the characters of Callahan and Marie are very good. I would like to see their story(stories) continue in a series of novels. I think Mr. O'Brien has left a lot of room to work with as far as rounding out these two characters and making a good series of novels based on his modern day Templars.
The Concordat is an agreement between the Church and the Templars giving each Pope the opportunity to form an alliance with the Templars. Should the Pope reject the alliance, the Church and the Templars agree to leave each other alone. At the beginning of the novel, the Church and the Templars are in a non-alliance phase. Information comes to the Templars about a planned attack on the Vatican, but they can do nothing with the information because of the Concordat. During the attack, a formerly unknown treaty between two 12th century Popes (one started the process and died while it was being completed) and three European kings is stolen. The main story of the novel is based on this treaty and how the Templars, the Church, and the Hashashin deal with the treaty.
This was a well written novel. Mr. O'Brien has created some great characters that the readers can relate to. The plot is well conceived and provides both a good deal of intrigue and action to keep the readers' attention. I especially like the character of Pope Dominic I, simply because he wasn't your stereotypical Pope. Also the characters of Callahan and Marie are very good. I would like to see their story(stories) continue in a series of novels. I think Mr. O'Brien has left a lot of room to work with as far as rounding out these two characters and making a good series of novels based on his modern day Templars.
January 26, 2013
I read a fair amount of historical fiction, which is why I picked up this book. I have always had an interest in the Templars.
The central conceit of this book is that the Knights Templar not only survived the attempted eradication of the 14th century and not only survived, the thrived. Now they are one of those uber-powerful secret organization that operates totally outside the laws of any nation and is bound only by their own honor.
The plot revolves around a 12th century treaty that is signed by two separate popes and three European Kings. This treaty is an agreement that the Christians should eliminate the Muslims if possible. The real rub is that the Second Vatican Council proclaimed that popes are infallible, speaking the true Word of God. If the popes are infallible and popes (even ancient ones) are calling for the death of Muslims, that obviously puts the church in an awkward place.
I suppose the easy comparison would be the blending of imagined history and fiction that Dan Brown did, but I actually liked this better. The plot seemed a little overwrought from time to time, but I loved the characters. Character development is something so often overlooked in this genre, but it was a strength here.
My one nit to pick was that the powerful heads of the Templars spoke in an exceedingly casual way. I believe this was a conscious decision on the part of the author, but it sometimes took me out of the story a bit.
In the end, the book built a nice momentum, and has a very satisfying ending. Personally, I would be interested in reading another book set in this same world.
The central conceit of this book is that the Knights Templar not only survived the attempted eradication of the 14th century and not only survived, the thrived. Now they are one of those uber-powerful secret organization that operates totally outside the laws of any nation and is bound only by their own honor.
The plot revolves around a 12th century treaty that is signed by two separate popes and three European Kings. This treaty is an agreement that the Christians should eliminate the Muslims if possible. The real rub is that the Second Vatican Council proclaimed that popes are infallible, speaking the true Word of God. If the popes are infallible and popes (even ancient ones) are calling for the death of Muslims, that obviously puts the church in an awkward place.
I suppose the easy comparison would be the blending of imagined history and fiction that Dan Brown did, but I actually liked this better. The plot seemed a little overwrought from time to time, but I loved the characters. Character development is something so often overlooked in this genre, but it was a strength here.
My one nit to pick was that the powerful heads of the Templars spoke in an exceedingly casual way. I believe this was a conscious decision on the part of the author, but it sometimes took me out of the story a bit.
In the end, the book built a nice momentum, and has a very satisfying ending. Personally, I would be interested in reading another book set in this same world.
April 6, 2013
This book can me to me free from Amazon and Boobbub. If there were errors, they were too few to mention, save one. It is not all right to use 'alright'. All right? The author gets a button for giving his characters names that I could pronounce. This book passed the mechanics of good writing test. The author developed and described very well. My favorite character was the unconventional Pope. He wore cowboy boots and jeans. Set me to thinking about the Pope's shoes. (Don't ask why because I don't know. It just did.) White kid leather lace ups came to mind. The book made me think about things that REALLY do go on in secret. I love conspiracy theories, but I am better off not knowing the truth of all that I question. The book read like silk and was never boring. Thank you, Mr. O'Brien, for a good read.
December 18, 2011
I like the blend of religion and militarism (is that a word?). I like anything to do with the Templars, even if they are supposed to be non-existent today. I don't know if I like the way this book feeds into the present day hysteria about Islam and the West, but the story is very plausible.Terrence OBrien
February 5, 2012
This was recommended to me by a friend, and i stopped reading what I was reading and started it. I was not disappointed. It is a very fast paced and well written thriller. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is it never explained why the Templars allowed women into the order now. Other than that loved it. Great book.
May 28, 2012
Reading this on my Kindle, which I only read in the car (as a passenger, LOL). It's good, really good. I can't tell how many pages it is, as my Kindle (first generation DX) doesn't paginate, but it must be a really long book! I've been reading it for miles and miles, hours and hours,and am just 37% through it. (I shoudl get extra credit, lol)
September 1, 2013
Even as a non-catholic, I'm offended by the portrayal of the lately elected pope in this book. The story line is based upon the existence of the Templars in our modern world as a partner to the Vatican but only if the sitting pope agrees. Not my favorites read but it did have its entertaining moments.
July 13, 2014
This is one of those books that makes you wonder. Did (or does) a document like the Treaty of Tuscany really exist? This is not a conspiracy theory kind of book. So, there is no need for a foil hat as you read it. But it has enough detail and authenticity to it that it really makes you wonder.
I really recommend this book. And I love "the Mexican Pope" and the grit of his character.
I really recommend this book. And I love "the Mexican Pope" and the grit of his character.
April 5, 2012
In the same vein as Dan Brown's history-mystery thrillers, this is a fairly fast-paced book. A little unsettling to see how the story feeds off of so much Western anti-Islamist sentiment, and unfortunately the Muslim characters are a bit one-dimensional.
May 18, 2012
Interesting story about a centuries old agreement between the Pope and the leader of the Templars. Each new pope must agree to sign the agreement if he wants help/support from the Templars. Some are not interested others welcome the agreement.
Not as good as Dan Brown but a good read.
Not as good as Dan Brown but a good read.
May 25, 2012
The book started out slow, and reminded a lot of DaVinchi's code, but it picked up the pace and actualy became a fast read half way through it. I really liked it and would read other books by the author
November 15, 2012
The Vatican and the Knights Templar working together? Having secret agreements reaching for centuries back? Secret documents that could change the world? amazing read! Great depth to each character, whether you like them or not, you saw how their minds functioned (or malfunctioned).
December 24, 2013
Loved this book! The plot is highly improbable but you are drawn into the belief that it really could happen. Once so ensnared, just sit back and enjoy. It is well written in the 'Dan Brown' style and all's well that ends well, thanks to the Templars.
July 30, 2015
Too good to be free
Fantastically written. Fast paced read that despite having multiple characters, allows you to get to know each of them,their personalities and motivations. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Recommended for all espionage/adventure lovers
Fantastically written. Fast paced read that despite having multiple characters, allows you to get to know each of them,their personalities and motivations. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Recommended for all espionage/adventure lovers
October 6, 2015
Historical fiction
I chose a 4 in rating this book because while pretty good, some of the scenes seemed implausible to me. Fairly well written. I would consider reading this author's work again.
I chose a 4 in rating this book because while pretty good, some of the scenes seemed implausible to me. Fairly well written. I would consider reading this author's work again.
February 9, 2016
Admittedly i've read a stack of templar books over the years, but this is the best, hands down. I loved the pope, the hero, the premise, and it satisfied chapter after chapter. i hope these characters return in future books. smart and breathtaking action page after page.
November 12, 2016
Really enjoyed this book based on the history of the Templars (always been fascinated by that era). This book supposes they are still around today and in control of some amazing resources, both human and technological.
March 8, 2011
A good read. A little confusing at times, I had to really concentrate on this to figure out who was doing what to whom, but overall I enjoyed it.
March 14, 2011
Great book, much better than I thought it would be. The fictional Treaty of Tuscany was a terrific "what if" plot point. I'll be keeping on eye on this author's future books.
September 20, 2011
Not a bad book, it had it's moments, but overall not something I would be willing to watch again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews