Cirrus@Austlit

''By the Power of these Keys the Head of the Church will be made the Lord of Hell.'

'In late 2012 a cryptic invitation leads a crime novelist to Venice's Island of the Dead. Once there he is captivated by his host's tale, which spans the centuries - but seemingly begins and ends in the dark days of the 1930s . . .

'In 1936, a similarly cryptic invitation brings Grail historian Otto Rahn to an apartment in Berlin. Waiting for him inside is Hitler's right-hand man, Heinrich Himmler, and Rahn's life is turned upside down. For Himmler wants Rahn to locate Les Serpent Rouge, a notorious book of black magic written by Pope Honorius in the 14th century.

'Following a trail from Paris down to Carcassone in the South of France, Rahn discovers a web of deceit and murder. Clearly Himmler is not the only powerful figure in search of the grimoire. A shadowy circle of men are watching Rahn's every move, and they will stop at nothing to possess both the book and the legendary Sixth Key that will unlock its terrifying power . . .' (Publisher's blurb)

'During the siege of Montsegur, a mysterious woman appears to Cathar Bishop Bertrand Marty with a story to tell. A story of two children. Two children called Jesus.Judea and France collide in the unveiling of a shattering secret kept hidden for centuries in the annals of a lost Gospel. Will what she tells have the power to reconcile all faiths and answer all questions? A tale of love, war, and secrets buried in time.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Heresy, Hypocrisy, Murder...

'France, 1254

'High on a mountain in the Pyrenees, the monastery of St Lazarus is a forbidding place. Behind its ramparts and battlements heretical acts are said to take place and there is the rumour of a secret - a secret so dangerous that its keepers will kill to keep it hidden.

'At the end of a bitter winter, a delegation headed by the ambitious Inquisitor Rainiero Sacconi arrives to investigate the monastery. Andre, a Knight of the Templar Order, and his young scribe, Christian de St Armand, are accompanying the inquiry. When monks begin to die in macabre circumstances they are drawn into solving the hideous crimes but if they stumble upon the secret of St Lazarus it will turn into a fight, not only for their lives, but also for their souls.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.