From the USA Today Bestselling author of The Sword of the Templars and The Aztec Heresy Some secrets are too great to bear... Retired Army Ranger Lt. Col. John Holliday has reluctantly settled into his teaching position at West Point when young Israeli archaeologist Rafi Wanounou comes to him with desperate news. Holliday's niece—and Rafi's fiancé—Peggy has been kidnapped. Holliday sets out with Rafi to find the only family he has left. But their search for Peggy will lead them to a trail of clues that spans across the globe, and into the heart of a conspiracy involving an ancient Egyptian legend and the darkest secrets of the Order of Templar Knights. Secrets that, once known, cannot be survived...

Why would a collector of ancient American artifacts hand over his prized pieces to a historian and then shoot himself in the head? The answer places historian Cameron Thorne at the dangerous intersection of secret American history and modern geopolitical intrigue. Warning: Not recommended for readers with strong Christian or other religious beliefs.

A man in search of the truth-against an ancient brotherhood that uses secrecy as the ultimate weapon. In the 14th century, Templar knight Jean de St. Clair was tasked with piloting the order's treasure-laden fleets off the coast of France. To this end, he used the Jacob's Staff-a nautical instrument supposedly developed in his own time. But retired Army Ranger Lt. Col. John Holliday possesses a Staff he found in the hands of a 4,000 year-old Egyptian mummy. Holliday suspects that St. Clair may hold the key to unlocking the mystery of the ruthless, enigmatic Templars. But there are those who believe that some questions should remain unanswered. And that the answers Holliday seeks should go with him to the grave...

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Aztec Heresy A mystery that spans the past A conspiracy that lives on in the heart of an ancient order... Army Ranger Lt. Col. John Holliday had resigned himself to ending his career teaching at West Point. When his uncle passes away, Holliday discovers a medieval sword-wrapped in Adolf Hitler's personal battle standard. But when someone burns down his uncle's house in an attempt to retrieve the sword, Holliday realizes that he's being drawn into a war that has been fought for centuries-a war in which he may be the next casualty.

In the Compasses and the Cross, Stephen Dafoe, the author of Nobly Born: An Illustrated History of the Knights Templar, traces the origins and evolution of the Masonic Knights Templar from their beginnings in the middle of the eighteenth century to its present form. Through the course of the book, Dafoe draws on his knowledge of the history of the original Order as well as that of the modern Masonic variant. Individual chapters will examine the various myths connecting the Templars and Freemasonry put forth by eighteenth and nineteenth century Freemasons including James Anderson, Andrew Michael Ramsay and Baron von Hund, as well as Scottish Freemasons such as William Alexander Lawrie and the Chevalier James Burnes. In addition to separating historical fact from masonic tradition, Dafoe also chronicles the differences in Masonic Templarism as it exists in Britain and the Dominion with that of the United States. An excellent and thought provoking addition to the existing information on the Knights Templar which will be essential reading for all Masons and general readers with an interest in this subject area.

An ancient secret. A lost city. A treasure that could change the world. In search of a Spanish galleon in the Caribbean, archaeologist Finn Ryan and her partner Lord Billy Pilgrim find evidence of a lost Aztec Codex. The invaluable book created by 15th-century explorer and accused heretic Hernan Cortez is said to reveal the secret location of the lost City of Gold. But they are not alone in their quest. Also on the trail is the head of a menacing religious cadre who'd kill to get it first, and a sociopathic billionaire with his own sinister motives. But while running for their lives, Finn and Billy come upon a more explosive secret that will take them from the Yucatan jungles to the Sonoran Desert, where the stakes are life and death.

The trial of the Knights Templar is one of the most infamous in history. Accused of heresy by the king of France, the Templars were arrested and imprisoned, had their goods seized and their monasteries ransacked. Under brutal interrogation and torture, many made shocking confessions: denial of Christ, desecration of the Cross, sex acts, and more.This narrative follows the everyday reality of the trial, from the early days of scandal and scheming in 1305, via torture, imprisonment and the dissolution of the order, to 1314, when leaders Jacques de Molay and Geoffroy de Charnay were burned at the stake. Through first-hand testimony and written records of the interrogations of 231 French Templars, this book illuminates the stories of hundreds of ordinary members, some of whom testified at the trial, as well as the many others who denied the charges or retracted their confessions.This is a deeply researched and immersive account that gives a striking vision of the relentless persecution, and the oft-underestimated resistance, of the once-mighty Knights Templar.