Labyrinth

By: Kate Mosse

Narrated by: Donada Peters

In the heart of the Pyrenees mountains lies a hidden secret, waiting to be uncovered.

In July 2005, in the Pyrenees mountains near Carcassonne, Alice, a volunteer at an archaeological dig, stumbles into a cave and makes a startling discovery-two crumbling skeletons, strange writings on the walls, and the pattern of a labyrinth.

Eight hundred years earlier, on the eve of a brutal crusade that will rip apart southern France, a young woman named Alais is given a ring and a mysterious book for safekeeping by her father. The book, he says, contains the secret of the true Grail, and the ring, inscribed with a labyrinth, will identify a guardian of the Grail. Now, as crusading armies gather outside the city walls of Carcassonne, it will take a tremendous sacrifice to keep the secret of the labyrinth safe.

Critic reviews

Elegantly written...An action-packed adventure of modern conspiracy and medieval passion. —The Independent [UK]

Really enjoyed this story

Love the mix of tragedy and historic legends woven into a story of love and courage.

Facinating listen

I disagree with the notion that the narrator was horrible, I thought she was very good. The abundance of French names and places made it hard to follow sometimes, but I thought this was a solid story set against a backdrop of history that was previously unknown to me. It seemed well researched and had a good balance between the old and new, interweaving stories and characters from the 13th and 21st centuries in a compelling way.

solid mix of history and their story

Excellent narration and accurate history more than compensate for an only-slightly weak plot of the girl in the 1200s. The character of the present-day archaeologist is believable and the story draws the reader to investigate present-day Carcassonne.

Intriguing but slow

Overall, there is some interesting material here. I found myself interested in and researching the central locations in the story.

However, the pace is slower than I like, the number of characters with similar names confused me more than once, and it didn't consistently keep my attention.

I mildly enjoyed it, but I won't go out of my way to seek out the author again. It's too bad because the plot and setting had a lot of potential.

Loved the book and the reader

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the book on audio - the reader was amazing, able to take a listener through the various emotions of the story - in some places, I was transported to the past, as an observer. The book was well researched - I learned a lot, and would like to visit these historical places mentioned in the book, some day. Thank you!