Cabal Of The Westford Knight-David S Brody

Cabal Of The Westford Knight
David S Brody
Martin & Lawrence Press, Feb 2009, $17.95
PO Box 692, Groton, MA 01450
ISBN: 0977389871

In 1398, nearing fifty years old Henry Sinclair led an expedition of 220 sailors and craftsmen on twelve boats that followed a Viking map across the North Atlantic to a place he calls Nova Scotia. The natives gave him the benefit of the doubt that he is their yellow-haired god. Henry kept 23 men including his second cousin James Gunn to further explore the land to the south reaching what is now Massachusetts after he sent back to Orkney, Scotland the rest of the fleet.

Attorney Cam Thorne is returning books to the Westford, Massachusetts Public Library when a girl asks him if he will attend the talk on the legend of Henry Sinclair and the Scottish knights discovering America a century before Columbus arrived. He says no. He intercedes when a bullying Scotsman McLovick demands the elderly Gendron couple sign the quitclaim deed over to him. After seeing his “new” clients leave safely, Cam is accosted by McLovick who warns him he will not tolerate interference; Cam calmly tells the Scotsman to go dance.

However, the attorney with a bad knee is the one dancing for his life as a secret Christian cabal, treasure hunters, and McLovick want him dead. He learns why and concludes to stay alive he better find what they seek: the rumored cache Prince Hal and the Knights of the Templar buried in New England or the Canadian Maritime Provinces

Obvious connections to the Da Vinci Code aside, this is a fresh exciting thriller that uses real six-hundred years old archeological sites and artifacts (including pictures that add a feel of authenticity) and historical theory involving Prince Hal, the Templars, and the Masonic Lodge. The story line is fast-paced with a modern day chase across New England and Maritime Provinces as several people want Cam removed from the hunt. In spite of the villains seemingly inept and not as menacing as they should be; fans will enjoy this exhilarating tale of “Templars at the Newport Tower” and other locales.

Harriet Klausner