Labyrinth, by Kate Mosse
I picked up this book when I was enticed by the notion of Holy Grail, thanks to The Da vinci code. Believe me, it sure surpassed my expectation.
Meet Dr. Alice Tanner, who is taking part in an architechtural dig. She accidentally opens a cave which is ancient and like always holds many secrets- a couple of skeletons to begin with which then leads to things far sinister. Now meet Alais, who is entrusted with 3 sacred books which she is to gaurd as Languedoc is under seige. The army proceeds to take hold of the city as it believes to have given refuge to the so called heretics but their motive is to take cutody of those 3 books which hold secret powers.The story of these two ladies proceeds parallely and 800 years apart in time. Their fate tied together in a strange fashion. Alice is in grave danger and she has no clue what her pursuers want. Then she meets the only person who knows both these ladies, whose years of long wait culminates in a dramatic fashion. The author has the arduous task of taking the reader through the troubled era of crusades and link it to present day france with a fine narration and intriguing plot. The book being set in two different eras, the author resorts to the use of the archaic occitan lingo for the older era.Thus ensuring that you do not lose your way in the Labyrinth.
A very fascinating read and the 700 odd pages do justice to your patience.