This is the first book of the entire Templar-series I read, so my judgement is based on this particular book, without having read any of the other. Granted, reading the entire series might change my point of view, and maybe I just happened to start with one of the lesser books, but for now I cannot find but that this is a good enough but all in all mediocre historical novel.
The characters are lively enough allright, but lack depth and the diversity typical of any human being (especially 'the bad guys' are very one-dimensional). Also, I found the writing at times very longwinded and repetitive (I lost count of how many times Baldwin and Simon express how much they miss their wives, but by the umpteenth time it tends to get on your nerves).
Having said that, it's still an intrigueing whodunnit, with sufficient action. I've read better (a lot better) but I've also read worse, so I'll probably not stop here and try some of the other books of the series as well.