Templar Blood

by K. M. Ashman Book 3 in the The Brotherhood series.

First published 2020

Amazon

4.5(1,273)

By 1185 Baldwin IV is dying and the succession of Jerusalem is uncertain. Rival nobles pursue control of the crown while Raynald of Châtillon continues attacks that threaten the truce with Saladin.

A woman searching for her missing son crosses political and religious boundaries as the kingdom moves towards open war. The Brotherhood becomes caught between private loyalties and the failure of the Crusader leadership to unite before Hattin.

Baldwin’s approaching death turns every marriage, guardianship and noble alliance into part of the succession struggle. Raynald’s attacks threaten to give Saladin both motive and opportunity for open war, while the factions of Jerusalem remain more interested in controlling the crown than in presenting a united defence.

The missing child draws the Brotherhood through those same rival networks. A private search therefore exposes the wider failure of the kingdom’s leadership, anticipating the political divisions that will help make Hattin catastrophic.