So, what is my verdict? Sadly, I really did not love this book, and not for want of trying.

Kidnapping, murder, and the search for power drive this plot, as both Alais and Alice fight to the same end. Alice eventually realises that, like Alais, her destiny is inseparable from that of the Grail. After Alice happens upon a cave containing skeletons and an altar, whilst on an archeological dig in the French Pyrenees, she starts in motion a series of events that pose a threat to the security and secrecy of the Grail. Alice finds herself dreaming of Alais’s existence in Carcassonne as she attempts to protect the labyrinth’s secrets, against the backdrop of French Crusaders coming to Carcassonne to rid the land of ‘heretics’. The narratives are tied together by the unravelling of the mysteries of the ‘true’ Grail, which is written and bound in three volumes, and the symbol of the labyrinth. Labyrinth tells two stories simultaneously: that of 17 year old Alais in 13th century southern France, and that of the academic Alice Tanner in 2005. Promising a Da Vinci Code-like plot, premised on historical mystery, it did not take a huge amount of effort on the part of Waterstones to secure my purchase (although the multi-buy sale certainly helped). Having steered clear of the recent TV serialisation, I will admit that the ads had me intrigued. After already tackling The President’s Hat (see my review here), I decided it was time to wade into the 694 page epic, Labyrinth. You may remember my excitement a couple of weeks ago at having rooted out some new purchases from Waterstones.

Labyrinth by kate mosse