We start off in 2005 with Dr Alice Tanner on an archaeological dig in southwest France, and then rewind to 1209 with Dame Alais Pelletier in the Chateau Comtal, also in southwest France. Throw in ancient Egypt, Jesus, the Crusades and the quest for eternal life, and you can see why this novel stretches to 700 pages. Sitting securely in the historical religious quest genre, Mosse's fluently written third novel (after Crucifix Lane) may tantalize (if not satisfy) the legions of Da Vinci Code devotees with its promise of revelation about Christianity's truths. Guardians of the trilogy are operating against evil forces-including Alais's sister, Oriane, a traitorous, sexed-up villainess who wants the books for her own purposes. As Carcassonne comes under siege by the Crusaders, Alais's father, Bertrand Pelletier, entrusts her with a book that is part of a sacred trilogy connected to the Holy Grail. Alais, in the year 1209, is a plucky 17-year-old living in the French city of Carcassone, an outpost of the tolerant Cathar Christian sect that has been declared heretical by the Catholic Church. Her discovery-two skeletons and a labyrinth pattern engraved on the wall and on a ring-triggers visions of the past and propels her into a dangerous race against those who want the mystery of the cave for themselves. In 2005, Alice Tanner stumbles into a hidden cave while on an archeological dig in southwest France. Mosse's page-turner takes readers on another quest for the Holy Grail, this time with two closely linked female protagonists born 800 years apart.

Kate mosse author labyrinth