My latest novel, Thief on the Cross: Templar Secrets in America, is a continuation of the themes first explored in Cabal of the Westford Knight: Templars at the Newport Tower. It is clear that European and Mediterranean explorers reached the shores of America long before Columbus—the question is, who were they and why did they come? Many of the clues continue to point directly at the Knights Templar and their affiliated entities.

I began the process of writing Thief on the Cross by examining two historical mysteries: 1) What was it the Templars discovered in Jerusalem in the early 1100s that instantly made them so powerful upon their return to Europe, and 2) What caused the Pope and other European leaders to outlaw, imprison, torture and murder Templar leaders 200 years later? My sense was that both questions might be answered by a single response. When I uncovered an ancient Templar teaching in which initiates of the Order were instructed to refer to Jesus as the “Thief on the Cross” and to worship a disembodied head called Baphomet, I knew I had not only found the answer but also stumbled onto fertile ground in which to grow compelling fiction.

In addition to researching the Templars, I also spent a great deal of time examining many of the ancient sites and artifacts in North America that evidence early exploration of our continent, specifically sites and artifacts which were not included in Cabal of the Westford Knight. Were they authentic? And could they be tied back in some way to the Templars? I concluded that the common thread tying all the sites and artifacts together, and also tying them to the Templars, was the likelihood that ancient cultures (probably the Phoenicians) for centuries had been mining copper in North America to fuel the insatiable demands of the Bronze Age. The Templars and other groups were merely following in the footsteps of the Phoenicians (and likely following their maps as well).

The end result of all this research is a modern-day historical thriller that revolves around many of the ancient artifacts and legends scattered across North America. Included in the story are Illinois’ Burrows Cave carvings, the Mandan “White” Indians, the legend of Prince Madoc of Wales, the Bat Creek Stone of Tennessee, Montreal’s Notre Dame Basilica, the Book of Mormon, and artifacts uncovered in New York’s Catskill Mountains. And, of course, what story involving ancient sites in America would be complete without the Newport Tower?

Add in a healthy dose of mystery shrouded in the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, along with some modern-day geopolitical intrigue, and the end result is Thief on the Cross.

Enjoy a white-knuckle ride through the secret history of North America!