The time is the 1820's, the height of the Regency period. The place is the English seacoast village of Portsur...

Somewhere in the village was rumored to be hidden a fabulous religious artifact-- a great golden cross encrusted with gems, made by the Knights Templar -- the legendary Cross of Ramplet that was secreted out of Arabia during the Crusades and again from France after the terrible "black friday" of 1307.

Worth a king's ransom, the Cross had been lost for centuries until a striking facsimile appeared in Holy Trinity Church soon after the Throckmorton-built ship, the Mare Librium, sank in the Bay of Portsur. Everyone saw the Cross on display, but the crafty Anglican rector refused to reveal its true origin.

Then, one night at the church, during an emergency village meeting led by Squire Manfred Throckmorton to deal with a sudden onslaught of bandits and highwaymen, the church steeple was struck by lightning and the roof mysteriously exploded!

In the resulting melee of screaming wounded and panicked villagers, the Cross disappeared, along with the Anglican priest. Young impressionable socialite, Darla Throckmorton, was also there that night. When the bodies were counted, she, and her family doctor -- who runs the local asylum and makes potions using special "magic mushrooms" -- could not be accounted for at the disaster site.

Years later, Darla -- who has developed a wicked temper and is rumored to be murderously insane -- is seen wearing the "Amulet of Adhara", a silver cross that, according to some, has supernatural powers and a connection to the Cross of Ramplet itself. More, it is rumored to hold -- in its engraved inscriptions -- a message that is key to uncovering one of the greatest secrets of the Knights Templar.

Suddenly, everyone has renewed interest in finding the Cross of Ramplet. A French secret agent appears, along with a band of cut-throat pirates, to join the fray as the family and others scour the village, going from Throckmorton Manor to the local bank, to the Inn, to the ruined castle, and the haunted forest, making deals and double-crossing each other in their insatiable greed to find and posses the fabulous treasure and uncover its fantastic secret.

Who will find the Cross of Ramplet, and how many people must die during the quest? What is the great secret the Cross alone can reveal?

Intriguing Characters...

What do an English high society family, a love-struck detective lawman, a dubious drug-dealing doctor, and a ship full of murderous pirates have in common? They're dastardly, scheming, decidedly dodgy characters brought together by a single objective -- the treasure hunt for a Knights Templar artifact lost centuries earlier -- the legendary Cross of Ramplet!

Darla Throckmorton
Beautiful and rumored to be murderously insane, yet passionately romantic. Did she really attack the Manor cook with a meat cleaver, and her brother Sebastian, with a knife? What does she believe is the power of the Amulet she wears?
"Oh, my darling, we won't have to wait long to be married. I have power, and I have a plan!"

The Real Treasure...

The real treasure is, of course, yours when you buy this highly engrossing and entertaining book. Travel with these and other characters as they scheme their way from stately Throckmorton Manor through the quaint English village of Portsur. Search with them in ruined castles and blasted churches, inns and banks, and dark, dangerous woods as they chase each other down with pistols and poisons and the Cross of Ramplet switches hands over and over again! Who's got the Cross now?

• Incredible fun and entertainment with a good dose of humor mixed in with the deadly machinations.

• You'll be kept on your toes as you uncover the true nature and the complexities of each richly drawn character, from the devilishly handsome Sebastian and the pert and pretty Sarina, to Steven, the horny stable boy.

• Your emotions will run the gamut from passionate and sympathetic to pure indignation and rage at the villainous behavior of even the most innocent.

• Your imagination will burn and you'll be amazed at the true secret of the Cross revealed in the fantastic four-chapter climax!

The Cross of Ramplet appeals to fans of historical fiction, detective, and murder suspense mystery novels. It goes beyond with an archaeological twist, sophisticated tongue-in-cheek humor... and a dash of romance to spice things up!

Page Turning Thrills!

Not for the Faint of Heart or the Feeble of Mind, the Cross of Ramplet is THE hot, new fantastic mystery suspense novel that keeps you guessing through more than 300 pages of the most twisted pretzel of a plot!

It's a delightful parody of the extremely popular historical mystery suspense fiction genre that will greatly amuse and entertain you while challenging your sanity as you follow the fascinating and sometimes endearing characters in their double dealing and murderous quest for the great treasure -- a golden Cross worth a King's ransom!

The Cross of Ramplet

The Mystery of Throckmorton Manor

The NEW Mystery Book by Garnell Thompson

available in e-book format

Double sided printable for storage in a 3-ring binder!

21 hot-linked chapters, 333 pages, Illustrated, PDF format

Viewable on: PC (WIN & MAC), Palm, Pocket PC, and Symbian devices.

Direct download upon purchase.

B U Y  N O W!

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Knights Templar Christian Cross Icon Sparks Treasure Hunt Mystery!

"Dazzling!
A truly amazing story, and lots
of fun!"
 -- Crystal Cauldron

"Total page-turner,
funny, rich
fascinating
characters,
a real puzzle
and great
entertainment!"
-- Psychic
View Points
Entertainment

"More than a mystery book, it's a parody of mystery books, and highly entertaining. One of the best mystery novels of the year!"
-- Keff Dolan, Voice Artist

"Stunning, engaging, fascinating! A great story told in a lyrical style, a classic mystery book in its own time."
-- Mike Lord