This is my first book by Michael J. Cooper, and I will be reading the rest of this series because of The Rabbi's Knight.
This unique historical novel is based in 1290 when the Crusaders are withdrawing from Israel. A Knight, Jonathan St. Clair, is looking how to translate a mysterious inscription before Acre falls and partners with Rabbi Samuel of Baghdad, agreeing to protect him during a perilous journey to Jerusalem in return for helping him translate the inscription. Other travel companions include William Wallace (lovely surprise), Isaac, a brilliant young scholar from Acre, a learned Moslem mathematician and cartographer; and Zahirah, who hides among leper colony on the shores of the Sea of Galilee to avoid the cruel emir.
The depth of details regarding the historical relationships between Muslims, Christians and Jews is rich and engaging, enlightening and stimulating as you learn more about all 3 cultures from the fascinating theologies, advanced medical practice, astrology and mathematics that existed to name a few. There is suspense, intrigue, romance, unexpected friendship, betrayal. loyalty and deep faith woven throughout the book. The beginning starts off with a bang, the middle is a bit slower, and the end is surprising and satisfying.
If you enjoy historical novels from a captivating era that bring rich and fascinating details with a plot that is suspenseful and enriching, this is a must read.
A deep appreciation to NetGalley, Köehler Books, and Michael Cooper for the privilege of the ARC, it was a pleasure to read. All opinions expressed are my own.

I generally enjoy historical novels and the premise of this book really interested me. After reading it thought I felt it was all a little dry and flat.
Im glad I read it, but I wouldn't re read it

I'm not sure how many stars to give here. On the one hand, I like the concept. An English knight and a Rabbi in Crusader Israel work together, along with Muslim friends, to decipher a hidden code and root out bad players. There's a lot of action and some good twists and turns. The ending was solid, with some unexpectedly heavy parts mixed into the redemption and resolution .

However, I got bored somewhere in the middle and began to skim. There were some plot holes (why would the bad guy throw the important paper in the garbage and not into the fire, like other parts of the story?), probably too much Hebrew for the average reader, and some very predictable elements. The romance was cheesy, and the physical parts were cringey.

I'll go with 2,75 rounded up. Historical fiction fans may enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Köehler Books, and Michael Cooper for the opportunity to review an advanced copy.

I enjoyed this book. I found it to be an informative, exciting story about a fascinating time in history. And for the most part, the pacing is very good. However, I found the characters flat; I neither loved the protagonists nor hated the antagonists. It was like I had no stake in the characters and don’t miss them now that I finished the book. I found the theology fascinating, but it sometimes came at the expense of pacing. Nonetheless, this book is well worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley and Köehler Books for the advance reader copy.