The Bone Chamber - By Robin Burcell Page 0,153

Biological Warfare, by Tom Mangold and Jeff Goldberg.)

But back to the Templars and Freemasons. I bring up the historical figure of Raimondo di Sangro, Prince of Sansevero, and perhaps my own contribution to the idea that the Templars emerged centuries later as the Freemasons. In 1750, di Sangro, a genius (mad genius according to some), became the first Grand Master of the Freemasons in Naples, and because of this was excommunicated by the pope. (And why is it that the church is so dead set against the Masons?) How does this connect di Sangro to the Templars? Quite simply, the principality that gave him his namesake, the town of San Severo, was sold to the Templar Knights in 1233. If the Templar Knights emerged as the Freemasons in the 1700s, it is certainly conceivable that a man, a Freemason, whose principality was owned by the Templars, could be hiding a treasure that they intended to guard—a treasure still being sought to this day.

Beyond that, the prince’s body has never been found, he did plan to enlarge his crypt, and his entire chapel is filled with Freemason iconography. Adding to the mystery are the vast miles of tunnels beneath Naples equal in size to the entire Vatican City, and even more still unexplored to this day—it certainly sparks the imagination that there might be a chamber or two left holding secrets that we may never know about. Why not a missing treasure or map?

Acknowledgments

This book would not have been a twinkle in my eye without author extraordinaire James Rollins, who helped me come up with the first germ of a plot by showing me the back of a dollar bill and its relation to conspiracy theories. That plot grew with the help of my dear friend and writer Susan Crosby. Thanks also to my fellow investigator Arnd Gartner, history buff, who (not on duty—should our bosses read this) helped me with plot points. And to John Clausen; he knows why.

Any FBI agents depicted are not based on real persons. But if I were to include any qualities of real agents it would be those of my good friend Supervising Special Agent George Fong, for answering questions and coming up with a really cool plot idea when I needed something plausible with which to threaten the world. Any deviation from reality is my fault, not his. I also owe thanks to Peter Mygdal, MD, who helped vet one such idea to determine if it was still plausible two thousand years later when this book takes place.

Thanks also to my mother, Dr. Francesca Santoro L’Hoir, who accompanied me on my research trip to Rome and Naples, sharing her extensive knowledge of Italy and the columbaria. While in Rome, we dined at the Hostaria Antica Roma (one of her favorite restaurants); therefore thanks are owed to Paolo Magnanimi for the use of his name, his restaurant and the wonderful food he served. If you go, try the tiramisu. It’s to die for.

Last but not least, thanks to my agent, Jane Chelius. To Barbara Peters, Robert Rosenwald, and all at Poisoned Pen Press who ensured a top-notch special edition hardcover. To all at HarperCollins for an awesome book and cover. To Wendy Lee, for all her help. And most of all to my editor, Lyssa Keusch, who let me try something different, embracing the idea for The Bone Chamber the moment she heard it.

For a Couple Worthy Causes

To my friends who contributed to the LHS cheer/drill team fundraiser, on behalf of my daughter: Special thanks to Dan Randolph of The Randolph Investigative Group for your sponsorship. You guys rock! And to HarperCollins for sending books for a raffle.

For the character auction: On behalf of the team, to Ron Nicholas McNiel II, for his son, Ron Nicholas McNiel III. To Natalie Bay and Kris Talley for their friend, Denise Woods. And on behalf of Sacramento DART (Drowning Accident Rescue Team), to Robin Morgan, for her daughter, Amber Jacobsen.

About the Author

ROBIN BURCELL, an FBI-trained forensic artist, has worked in law enforcement for more than two decades as a police officer, detective, and hostage negotiator. A two-time Anthony Award winner, she is the author of a previous Sydney Fitzpatrick novel, Face of a Killer, as well as four novels featuring SFPD Homicide Inspector Kate Gillespie: Every Move She Makes, Fatal Truth, Deadly Legacy, and Cold Case. You can visit her website at www.robinburcell.com.

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By Robin Burcell

WHEN MIDNIGHT COMES

EVERY MOVE SHE MAKES

FATAL TRUTH

DEADLY LEGACY

COLD CASE

FACE OF A KILLER

THE BONE CHAMBER

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE BONE CHAMBER. Copyright © 2010 by Robin Burcell. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

EPub Edition © November 2009 ISBN: 978-0-06-196607-1

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