As the crusader era ends, Templar Sergeant Brim Hastings must free his imprisoned brethren by surrendering the heretical scroll that has enabled their two-hundred-year leverage over the Roman Catholic Church. After escaping his order’s persecution, and having the role of savior thrust upon him, he and Cypriot apprentice tanner Shayla Kostas discover the boundaries between good evil are not where … where they’d thought. Seven centuries later, Rick Lambert’s investigation into Christian priest abductions in Iraq grows in scope after he’s given a cryptic Roman gaming stone. As he learns of the motive for recent Templar preceptory demolitions throughout France, he and his team must prevent religious extremists from shattering Christianity by winning the race to rediscover Vectis Templi — the Lever of the Temple.
more
Matt Gianni’s debut novel, Lever Templar, is a riveting start to his Castellum One series. The book is part historical and part contemporary fiction, and it is all fast-paced intrigue and action.
Lever Templar is told in two time periods: the 14th century and the present day. The novel toggles back and forth, and the time changes are easy to follow. The two stories are not parallel; Brim Hastings’ historic actions create the present day danger Rick Lambert and others finds themselves in.
Mr. Gianni provides his readers with detailed descriptions of locations and organizations. They’re so vivid, I couldn’t help but feel that I was physically present in each scene. The author’s knowledge/research is evident in the details of the story, and those details will be delicious to readers who love to get down and dirty in their history and conspiracy theory. While I found the novel incredibly well-written, the broad cast of characters was a bit overwhelming. Many of the characters have bit parts, or roles that seem insignificant until the story approaches culmination. Like many action-oriented thrillers, the characters are not overly developed. Readers get a sense of Brim and Rick’s motivations, but not much of their emotions or human attachments.
I love a good story about a Knights Templar intrigue; the material is rife with possibilities. Author Matt Gianni delivers a rich conflict between church and state that creates the foundation for murderous a power struggle. By the end of the book, I’m sure every reader will be pondering the possibility of an ancient scroll driving current day conflicts. Fans of Dan Brown novels are sure to love Matt Gianni’s Lever Templar.
Matt Gianni’s Lever Templar is an epic thriller of Dan Brown proportions. Weaving between two different eras, the novel begins with the theft of the Lever Templar, a scroll with the power to redefine Christianity. Fast forward to modern-day Mosul and Rick Lambert is called upon to investigate the abduction of Christian priests. Before long, the race is on to locate the missing scroll before it falls into the wrong hands.
Lever Templar is both fast-paced action thriller and epic historical saga. Gianni’s attention to detail is staggering both in his descriptions of current military tactics and his knowledge of middle eastern history. Having lived in Cyprus for several years, the historical accuracy about Kolossi Castle particularly appealed. I learned vast amounts of interesting historical facts while reading a very entertaining novel.
Lever Templar is a long read, made easier by the brevity of its many chapters. It is an excellent, detailed piece of writing that deserves to be savoured and enjoyed.
A well-written, exciting historical fiction/contemporary mixture adventure
In the early 14th century, young Brim Hastings is thrown into the middle of religious machinations between the Catholic church and his own Christian brotherhood the Temple of Solomon. Over 700 years later, Brim’s actions start a series of murders in Iraq that Rick Lambert is investigating. Intelligence from the Vatican leads Rick and his odd team on a treasure hunt without a traditional map. A cult of mercenaries is on their tail, as they travel to Kolossi and a small Island just off Cyprus.
Lever Templar is two books for the price of one. Brim Hastings story is well researched and competently written. I must applaud the detail of the different religious factions and their hierarchy, different locales and countries, and modes of travel and dress. You feel you are right there in those times. Rick Lambert’s present-day story of US agencies, jurisdictional issues, modern technology and warfare equipment is similarly comprehensive, but with the faster modern-day pacing. With so much information to digest, I did find the historical story slower going at first.
Unfortunately, the characters felt more two-dimensional than their surroundings. In fact, their appearance was barely, if at all, described, which left the reader to fill in the gaps. I imagined Malcolm and Brim as Sean Connery and Christian Slater from The Name of the Rose; while the humour of the explosives experts in the present reminded me of the Weasley twins from Harry Potter. The thoughts expressed tended to be informational or problem solving, rather than emotional, giving the reader a jolt when sudden emotional connections in both eras become apparent. Having said that, I was happy to read a male author who can write competent women in two different eras. My complaint being there were not enough of them.
Lever Templar is a novel that will please the historical fiction lover, while still providing enough to make the action reader happy and satisfy the mystery reader. There is some nice tying up of loose ends to polish the whole thing off. You won’t regret adding Lever Templar to your collection.
Levar Templar is a tale of two eras – the 1300s during the time of the suppression of the Knights Templar by the King of France and the Vatican, and the present day, when Islamic factions and the West are still at war. The ancient story focuses on the discovery and concealment of an even more ancient scroll that contains information that could be shattering to Christianity, while the modern tale chronicles the search for that scroll by terrorists who would use it to destroy their most potent enemy, opposed by western warriors.
The two stories are told in alternating chapters, and dovetail nicely. The protagonists are noble, likeable and have considerable depth, and the antagonists are also three dimensional. Sometimes the impressive amount of historical detail causes the tension to flag, but there’s also a lot of Tom Clancy-like technical detail, both ancient and modern, for those who like such things.
I enjoyed Levar Templar, even though I thought it was a bit too long. It would have only been made better by judicious editing of some of the more arcane details, and consolidation of the last few chapters into a concise ending after the revelation of the principal mystery. Still if you enjoy historical fiction or modern techno-thirillers, give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.
This story intrigued me from the opening–and yet, I struggled a bit to get through the book. It’s extremely well written but has so much going on, my head nearly exploded trying to keep track of the enormous cast of historic characters and events. Two distinct stories take turns–present day alternating with 1300s–chasing after the same McGuffin. I would have given up had the writing been less stellar but loved Brimley the Templar Knight character and his struggles. Readers who love intrigue, historical fiction, and international thrills will enjoy this story.
Editor’s Review:
In this enthralling labyrinthic, frame novel, author Matt Gianni builds two tales simultaneously: one of loss, mystery, and detective work fraught with danger in the present-day Middle East, and one of hardship, determination, soul, loyalty, and rebellious independence, set hundreds of years in the past. Gianni does an extraordinary job of tying these stories together to create one outstanding book, balancing many characters with flawless intricacy, and keeping suspense at the forefront of the reader’s experience. This book is highly recommended for anyone who loves good writing, captivating storytelling, and riding along as an intriguing underdog begins to develop into something much more, and a heroic soldier begins to discover that life still holds wonder and possibility…