The Secret of the Cathars

Philip Sinclair's grandmother leaves him the unusual legacy of a translated journal of his ancient ancestor, who was one of the four Cathar perfecti who escaped from the castle of Montsegur with the 'treasure of the Cathars' strapped to his back - a treasure that has never been found. She also requests that he travels to the Pyrenean fastness of le Bezu where she believes the treasure still lies. Meanwhile, the famous young French archaeologist Jaqueline Blontard, known as Jackie, arrives at le Bezu with her assistant to prepare excavations as part of her new television series about the Albigensian Crusade. They believe nobody is yet aware of their explorations, but they couldn't be more wrong. Not only does the Roman Catholic Church already know about their plans, but a secret body in Paris has sent someone to watch the excavations and a criminal gang in Marseilles has become involved in the search for the Cathar treasure. Soon after Philip arrives at le Bezu, Jackie's assistant is killed. Suspicion immediately falls on Philip and the police instruct him to stay in the locality while they investigate, but she does not believe he is responsible. The couple decide to work together to find the secret treasure, but before they unearth the location, news comes from Paris that TV France, who are funding the series, have decided to close down the dig. Philip and Jackie continue to search on their own and, closely followed by the shadowy organisations, they unearth much more than they had expected...Full of suspense, action and romance, The Secret of the Cathars explores the mystery of the Cathars and the historical events that supposedly took place years ago in a contemporary story. It will appeal to fans of historical mysteries and thrillers such as The Da Vinci Code.