After such sadness with THE END OF YOUR LIFE BOOK CLUB, I'm reading something lighter: THE TEMPLAR LEGACY by Steve Berry. It is 1st of 8 in series featuring Cotton Malone, an ex-US Justice Department agent. Here is a description:
The ancient order of the Knights Templar possessed untold wealth and absolute power over kings and popes . . . until the Inquisition, when they were wiped from the face of the earth, their hidden riches lost. But now two forces vying for the treasure have learned that it is not at all what they thought it was–and its true nature could change the modern world. Cotton Malone, one-time top operative for the U.S. Justice Department, is enjoying his quiet new life as an antiquarian book dealer in Copenhagen when an unexpected call to action reawakens his hair-trigger instincts–and plunges him back into the cloak-and-dagger world he thought he’d left behind. It begins with a violent robbery attempt on Cotton’s former supervisor, Stephanie Nelle, who’s far from home on a mission that has nothing to do with national security. Armed with vital clues to a series of centuries-old puzzles scattered across Europe, she means to crack a mystery that has tantalized scholars and fortune-hunters through the ages by finding the legendary cache of wealth and forbidden knowledge thought to have been lost forever when the order of the Knights Templar was exterminated in the fourteenth century. But she’s not alone. Competing for the historic prize–and desperate for the crucial information Stephanie possesses–is Raymond de Roquefort, a shadowy zealot with an army of assassins at his command. Welcome or not, Cotton seeks to even the odds in the perilous race. But the more he learns about the ancient conspiracy surrounding the Knights Templar, the more he realizes that even more than lives are at stake. At the end of a lethal game of conquest, rife with intrigue, treachery, and craven lust for power, lies a shattering discovery that could rock the civilized world–and, in the wrong hands, bring it to its knees.
It was published in 2006 and has 496 pages. It is thriller-ishly silly and just what I need apparently. I've started this book many times in the past but now I'm able to keep going with it.
I've not done a whole lot today; walked the dogs twice and I've got clothes laundry to finish. Otherwise I've been reading and napping just like I planned. Tonight, we'll have enchiladas and I'll have the two hour season three premiere of .....
Woot a woot!!!!
With the new season set to return Sunday, we take a look at the most eagerly anticipated stories. (PK'S NOTE: I TOOK OUT THE SPOILER THAT REVEALS SOMETHING IN SEASON THREE BUT OTHERWISE THIS ASSUMES YOU'RE OK WITH KNOWING WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST TWO SEASONS)
Will Lady Mary and Matthew finally tie the knot?
Last year's Christmas special ended with the moment fans had been waiting for: Mary (Michelle Dockery) and Matthew (Dan Stevens) officially getting together! After Mary ended her engagement to Richard, Matthew romantically proposed in the snow and she accepted. It took so long to reach this moment, however, that it almost feels too good to be true. And surely, the road to marriage will be filled with just as much drama as the road to their engagement.
Free Bates!
When viewers last saw the valet Bates (Brendan Coyle), he was found guilty of wife Vera's murder. The only good news was that his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. While maid Anna (Joanne Froggatt) continues to profess Bates' innocence and fight for his freedom, it will most likely take a few dramatic episodes before our favorite downstairs couple is, hopefully, reunited. Considering the official Free Bates campaign became so popular between seasons two and three (there are plenty of T-shirts), let's hope fans won't have too long a wait before his release.
Will the family accept Lady Sybil's marriage and welcome Branson fully to the clan?
During last season's Christmas special, viewers got big news from Jessica Brown Findlay's Lady Sybil: She's having a baby! While her marriage to family chauffeur Branson (Allen Leech) shocked most of the family at first, they all seemed to come around. Lord Grantham, however, was the most reluctant, and even though he gave the pair his blessing to wed, the fact that he didn't attend the event shows he still has not quite accepted the unconventional union. Could this be enough to keep him from inviting the pair back to Downton and getting to know his first grandchild? His wife, Cora, probably won't let that happen, but there will surely be a fight ahead for the young couple to make Lord Grantham understand that there are more important things in life than class distinctions.
The American arrives!
The addition of Shirley MacLaine to the series was exciting news. Who better to go head to head with Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess? Cora's mother, Martha Levinson, arrives from America, bringing with her a different set of cultural values that will clash with the Downton residents'. Exactly why she arrives and how long she stays remain to be seen, but whether it's a short or long visit, it will be fun to see her battle wits with Smith!
These may be the main story lines in season three, but there's so much more to look forward to as well! For instance: What will be Thomas and O'Brien's latest scheme? Will middle sister Edith finally find happiness and marry? Will cook's maid Daisy move on?
Tune in when "Downton Abbey" returns Jan. 6 at 9 p.m. on PBS.
Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster
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