Raising King Arthur from the Dead
Internationally bestselling thriller author Sam Christer writes about the inspiration behind his page-turning new novel, The Camelot Code.
Mystery and history have always intoxicated me. They’re my vodka and tonic. My champagne and orange juice. Okay, I admit it. I have a problem.
Probably an addiction.
But I’m not ready to quit. Not yet. Granted, The Stonehenge Legacy and The Turin Shroud Secret were both truly drunken binges – flagons of conspiracy, myth and religion followed by multiple chasers of murder. But hell, both those are sober affairs compared to The Camelot Code. Here, the indulgence is hedonistic. Medieval.
The challenge was to find a way to take yesterday’s legends and stories and transport them into a believable modern day story.
Good v Evil.
Courage compromised by cowardice.
Chivalry.
Romance and infidelity.
True love – the kind that forgives and forgets.
Treachery – the type that topples governments.
Magic – the OMG! Hand-to-slackened-jaw, heart stopping variety.
Murder – with scream in horror shock and cry-your-eyes out sorrow.
Heartbreak. Salvation. Hope.
Wow. What a delicious list.
A whole Munich Beer festival of research lay ahead. A story-tellers’ pub-crawl from Gildas and Malory to Geoffrey of Monmouth and Chrétien de Troyes. All offerings were greedily devoured. As too were other legends of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, right down to Disney’s 60’s classic film ‘The Sword in the Stone’, with the unforgettable animation, when all the strong men from across Britain can’t pull the steel from its rock, but a slip of a kid can. The raw power of male innocence has never been more beautifully portrayed.
I always like plots to work on three levels – a big modern drama, a long-standing historic mystery and an emotionally moving personal storyline. Into this mix I added a cocktail or characters that I hope leave people deeply satisfied. Without giving too much away, there’s Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Guinevere and of course the dreaded arch enemy, Mordred. They’re all in there. Names carefully – and not so carefully – disguised. Legends obeyed and occasionally stretched. History paid homage to, but not allowed to choke a good myth or mystic indulgence.
And then there’s Mitzi Fallon. Fresh from the Turin Shroud investigation. A cop like no cop before. Divorced mom of two. Damaged but deadly. Down-to-earth. Grounded and grinding out a living for her two kids.
What if I threw her into that medieval maelstrom? What if every little thing she had left and the only people she truly loved were endangered if she didn’t crack the mystery…?
Gosh, I feel like pouring a goblet of wine and reading the thing myself!
The Camelot Code is out now as an exclusive early ebook.
What if King Arthur was more than a myth?
On a starlit summer's night in the Welsh mountains, an old man is torn from sleep as an ancient prophecy unfolds.
On the other side of the Atlantic, an American antiques dealer lies dying on the floor of his shop, blood ebbing from a fatal stab wound.
In San Francisco, Mitzi Fallon begins her new job as lead investigator for the FBI's Historical, Religious and Unsolved Crimes Unit. When it emerges that a priceless Celtic relic has been stolen from the murdered antiques dealer, Mitzi finds herself drawn into a mystery that reaches from the heart of the modern US government back to a man once dismissed as myth: King Arthur.
Sam Christer, author of the international smash hit, The Stonehenge Legacy, returns with his most dramatic, race-against-time thriller yet. Packed with heart-stopping, addictive suspense and historical intrigue, The Camelot Code is a brand new thriller that is perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Simon Toyne. The King Arthur legend is about to come to life...
