Abbot and the Stone

Neophyte graduate archeologist, Valencio DeCaria has everything going for him... except an earth-shattering new discovery in the archeological world. He is chomping at the bit to uncovering a paramount artifact from Christian antiquity that will grant him fame and notoriety, and he will find it no matter the cost.

His breadcrumb trail of clues follows the tale of medieval knight, Sir Martinot, who had been commissioned by King Louis X at the outset of the Crusades. While Martinot is a disgrace of a man, let alone knight, he does manage to carry the massive ancient stone across the Mediterranean Sea to Marseilles, France. With a much larger band of enemy Saracens close on his tail, Martinot and his men disappear without a trace somewhere en route to Paris. It is now up to Valencio to unravel the mystery of what became of them. Even more important, he wants to find the Stone rumored to have healing power and to stake the claim for his aspiring career. Where are Martinot's remains and what became of the sacred Stone the unworthy knight had intended for King Louis and the Church?

Touched with Paulson's typical nuances of romance and humor, Abbot and the Stone is expected to be the latest in his line of page-turner novels.