Richard Cathar recalls his recently deceased father, Alaric, as a delusional hippie, one who fancied himself an intellectual and a historian. One of many far-fetched claims was that he had discovered-and then lost-documentation of a meeting between his hero, Richard the Lionheart, and Robin Hood after the Third Crusade.

In a quest to sort out the fact and fiction of his father's life, Richard (named for the legendary king) leaves London and travels to Jerusalem, where he falls in love with the mysterious Noor, a journalist who herself has many secrets. Back in England, he continues his research, finding his own evidence that Richard the Lionheart recovered the True Cross from Saladin. Again he sets out, this time on the trail of the True Cross, which leads him through the Middle East and Europe-and to the powerful sense that myth and history may be inseparable.

Justin Cartwright's latest novel is an utter original. Full of insight into the life and times of Richard the Lionheart, it is exciting, deeply moving, funny, and profound.