Beltran is a man who lives by a strict moral code, and even the gold does not corrupt him. He watches his way of life and his own beliefs washed away by the tide of history, a tide that he is powerless to hold back.

Not only does William Watson capture the wider sweep of the historical canvas with ease, but he also manages to draw strong characters such as Beltran, himself, with neutrality - so that the reader can watch the sometimes horrific unfolding of events with a degree of impartiality that is rare.

At times, it is easy to lose the thread of the passage of time - perhaps this is deliberate? The story assumes an almost dreamlike quality that absorbs and carries the reader forward, once one is prepared to suspend both belief and disbelief.

The book explores human greed, duplicity, religious belief and a loyalty amongst comrades at arms that goes above and beyond duty. At a time when unbelievable barbarity was common to both sides, "Christian" and "Moslem" - there are also touching moments of humanity that remind the reader of the very vulnerability of human beings no matter what era a story is set in. The role of women, in particular, at that time, and in that culture where the sword is all, is clearly marginalised and yet one of the most interesting characters in the book is a woman, a woman who exacts a terrible revenge.

The details of the Templar way of life are particular well described, and for anyone fascinated by the story of Jacques de Molay and the increasingly popular claim that the last of the Templars escaped to Rosslyn, it is particularly satisfying to read a novel set against the historical backdrop of Phillip "The Fair" and the unscrupulous Papacy of the time.

One is left with a yearning to know more about the fate of the Templars and I hope that William Watson takes this mysterious story further ... who knows? Perhaps even as far as the Freemasons of today who, some claim, take their beliefs and ritual practice from Templar origins. Whether the legend of the Scottish Templars is ever revealed ... whether the claims of the Sinclairs that some French Templars escaped to north America ... this period of history captures the romantic imagination and the plot is set to run and run.

Well worth a read and here's hoping William Watson writes more in this vein.