446 pages

5 stars

This is the inaugural novel of Mr. Sente’s trilogy. It is a wonderful historical adventure/mystery.

It is written in a dual timeline: the 9th Century in France and the present day in several locations, mostly in present day Germany as well as contiguous localities.

Baron Timothee (Tim), de St. Clare is an interesting guy. He dithers and obsesses over his love life, his decaying old castle, and a myriad of other things. He kind of drove me nuts. When a stranger shows up at his home with an artifact of the time of Charlemagne , Tim becomes interested in a story of purported treasure. He could save his tumbledown castle.

Together the two men set out to solve the mystery. Tim locates artifacts around the castle that may aid them in their search for the puzzling missing treasure.

Flashing back to the 9th Century, we meet Bera and her Viking horde, They savage the local Frankish villages, stealing everything of value. Along the way we learn that Bera is a kind hearted woman who is tired of the four year raiding sojourn. She bargains with another Viking for a young Moor boy who is a novice monk. They form a close relationship.
Bera and the other Vikings are an interesting, violent, take no quarter group of men.

Also, introduced in present time, is a local want to be politician who will stop at nothing to obtain the treasure for himself - including torture and murder.

This book is a thrill ride, complete with fascinating characters, action, tension and compassion. We see vivid descriptions of the little villages of the 9th Century. Colorful stories of the Viking raiders are gripping and action-filled. There is plenty of action in the present day as Tim and his helpful friends get themselves in trouble. A wonderful book. It has all the ingredients of a top historical thriller.

I want to thank NetGalley and Book Whisperer for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review. The opinions cited in this review are solely my own.

Love the characters and the plot. You will be reading in the wee hours of the morning. This book is great.