I do love it when a new book by Kate Mosse comes out. I recently finished reading Citadel – the final part of a trilogy set in the Languedoc in the south of France where ancient legend meets modern day sleuths on the trail of mysterious secrets of Templars, Cathars, cave networks and a landscape that passes the secrets down through the generations. As you’ll know if you’ve read this blog before, I am a sucker for books that weave mysteries around Gnostics and Templars (see my blog on trilogies, quartets and quintets) but Kate Mosse does it in such an engaging way that I can’t read her books without knowing I can do it pretty much in a single sitting. They are un-put-down-able.

The first book Labyrinth has a style I love – a modern day strong female protagonist and one 800 years earlier who are both at the centre of dramatic unfolding events that put them in grave danger.

Sepulchre then ranges across the same landscape – one I have great memories of from trips to Carcassone and skiing in the nearby mountains of Andorra – and again follows the lives of two women separated by this time only just over 100 years.

Citadel brings in yet another dimension I find fascinating to read about – the Second World War, and what it was like for the people of the region. The life of small town France with its range of strong characters, petty jealousies, and a sense of history also reminds me of the writing of Joanna Harris (see my blog). The history of the resistance is not something I have read much about and this is a gripping look at the lives of those who fought against the Nazis in the region.

If you want some really good reading for a flight or a holiday, I’d really recommend Kate Mosse.