7-hour abridgement by Robert Hack, approved by the author, and read by Brian Corrigan

"The ancient order of the Knights Templar possessed untold wealth and absolute power over kings and popes...until the Inquisition, when they were wiped from the face of the earth, their hidden riches lost. But now two forces vying for the treasure have learned that it is not at all what they thought it was -- and its true nature could change the modern world."

This book was far superior to the author's THE THIRD SECRET, which I heard in unabridged format a few months ago. It was plausible, entertaining, and did not lose its tight story line by being abridged. Excellent reader, too.

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Fast paced story of missing books, people, and a religion. Quest back in history for a treasure beyond price and the foundations of belief. Audio CD version great for long commute.

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This book reminds me of the Da Vinci code, with a chase to discover treasure owned by the Knights Templar, and lost centuries ago. It was a good book to listen to on CD in the car. Not the best action adventure book I've ever read, but enough to keep my attention. I will probably keep reading Steve Berry's books.

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Abridged, 6 CDs, Running Time: 7 hours The ancient order of the Knights Templar possessed untold wealth and absolute power over kings and popes... until the Inquisition, when they were wiped from the face of the earth, their hidden riches lost. But now two forces vying for the treasure have learned that it is not at all what they thought it was -- and its true nature could change the modern world.

Cotton Malone, onetime top operative for the U.S. Justice Department, is enjoying his quiet new life when an unexpected call to action reawakens his hair-trigger instincts -- and plunges him back into the cloak-and-dagger world he thought he'd left behind.

It begins with a violent robbery attempt on Cotton's former supervisor, Stephanie Nelle, who's far from home on a mission that has nothing to do with national security. Armed with vital clues to a series of centuries-old puzzles scattered across Europe, she means to crack a mystery that has tantalized scholars and fortune hunters through the ages by finding the legendary cache of wealth and forbidden knowledge thought to have been lost forever when the order of the Knights Templar was exterminated in the fourteenth century. But she's not alone. Competing for the historic prize -- and desperate for the crucial information Stephanie possesses -- is Raymond de Roquefort, a shadowy zealot with an army of assassins at his command.

At the end of a lethal game of conquest, rife with intrigue, treachery, and craven lust for power, lies a shattering discovery that could rock the civilized world -- and, in the wrong hands, bring it to its knees.

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