The Templar

Master of the historical mystery, Doherty (The Spies of Sobeck) tries his hand at a straight historical in this less than impressive first in a new series set during the crusader era. In 1095, Pope Urban II's call to arms leads to the First Crusade. The action starts in 1096 with the initial mustering of forces to march on Jerusalem to liberate it from the Turks and ends in 1099 with the fall of Jerusalem to the crusaders. A man known as the Magus, who's responsible for a number of deaths, adds a minor mystery element. Focusing more on wartime brutalities than on char-acter development, Doherty fails to bring the past alive with his usual flair. His real-life main characters, French knights Hugh de Payens and Godefroi of St. Omer, the future founders of the Templar Order, engage the reader less than the leads in other of his series such as Hugh Corbett or Brother Athelsan. (July)