Travis Simpkins: "Thief on the Cross" by David S. Brody

Thief on the Cross

Templar Secrets in America

by David S. Brody

Eyes That See Publishing, 2011

Notes by Travis Simpkins

Thief on the Cross is the second book in David S. Brody's "Templars in America" series, and for practical purposes, essentially picks up where Cabal of the Westford Knight left off… continuing the story of protagonist couple Cameron Thorne and Amanda Spencer as they investigate the secret pre-Columbian history and artifacts of North America. However, it is also very much a stand alone novel and can still be thoroughly enjoyed without prior reading of the first installment in the series.

A tactful warning appears on the cover: "This book contains themes that may be offensive to readers with strong Christian beliefs." It seems like an alluring line for reel-in marketing purposes, but is not entirely unnecessary. Touchy questions of divinity vs. humanity in regard to Jesus Christ are central to the plot.

The story begins with Amanda being kidnapped by a terminally-ill, devout-Mormon collector of ancient American artifacts. After the man's abrupt suicide, Cam and Amanda (with an 8-year-old girl in tow) are coerced to undertake a quest to discover a lost Templar scroll hidden in a remote cave in the Catskills. When found, why does the scroll refer to Jesus as "The Thief on the Cross"? Their journey, thwarted by the pursuit of an assassin, religious zealots and government agents, is intended to somehow tie into the veracity of The Book of Mormon… but may actually lead them to a secret of much greater historical impact. To discuss the plot further would be an injustice to the many surprises contained within the book's pages.

Like in his previous work, David S. Brody assembles a collection of artifacts related to the European exploration of America long before Columbus and weaves a fast-paced thriller around them in expert fashion. This book mentions the Burrows Cave artifacts, the Bat Creek Stone, the Prince Madoc legend and the Mandan tribe of "White Indians." Both informative and entertaining, this book (along with Brody's other work) is deserving of praise and more wide-spread attention.