Citadel by Kate MosseMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Kate Mosse's Languedoc Trilogy started with the book Labyrinth, followed by Sepulchre and with Citadel as the third book. I have read Labyrinth and enjoyed the book. However, due to my partiality to the color blue (I know it makes no sense, but I swear it is true) I clicked on Citadel on my Kindle and only at the very end did I realize it was the third book in the series and not the second. (I know, I'm stupid -- sue me).
Citadel revolves around a group of women who make up part of the resistance during the Nazi occupation of France. Sandrine Vidal found a body floating on a lake while she was out cycling. She tried to fish the body of the man out in the hope that he may still be alive. The man was barely conscious and had signs of being beaten. The man suddenly opens his eyes and murmurs words to Sandrine that didn't make much sense. All of a sudden, someone hits Sandrine from behind and she loses consciousness. A young man named finds her and tries to revive her but has to run away soon after. Sandrine revives and tries to file a report with the police and unwittingly set a chain of events in motion that threatens her life and those she loves.
Many centuries earlier, a monk named Arinius is trying to hide a very important piece of parchment -- a Codex -- from being destroyed. He is unwell and is hoping to be able to hide the parchment before his illness takes its toll.
Citadel is a very exciting book and I enjoyed reading it. However, I felt that the Codex episode is something that could have been left out. It seems to be a part of the story that has no bearing on much of anything and I would have given the book 5 stars if it was not for that side Codex story. The story of how a group of women banded together to become an important part of the resistance would have been a great story all on its own.
All in all, Kate Mosse does a good job and Citadel is a good book. It can be read on its own without having to read the earlier books in the trilogy.
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