Brief

An imaginative historical novel weaving together family drama, government intrigue and intergenerational mystery. Through the lives of historical figures such as Wilhelm Canaris, the German admiral chief who turned against Adolf Hitler, it tells a story about the importance of family.

What We Liked

- It is a fascinating account of history, told within the dramatic framework of a man coming to
grips with his history and his family tree;
- It would make for a gripping film/series adaptation because it is a story with fascinating
characters at the heart of it, that an audience would get to know as the film progresses.
Using flashbacks and Matthias as the guide through the various historical events and years,
audiences would become invested in him and the secrets he learns.

Synopsis

Anthropology professor Matthias Adkins is visiting his grandmother’s house and finds a photo of a man in a military uniform, who has the eyes of his late grandfather. He takes this to his girlfriend, Linda, and together they begin to research the photo and find out it is Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, a Nazi intelligence officer who turned on Hitler, and was hung for his betrayal.

In a flashback, undercover hitman Albert Moreno, in 1988 New York, is on mission to kill, as instructed by a group he belongs to called The Sanctum. He carries out his mission and kills a man in Grand Central. In another flashback, a year earlier, Leonard Alberran is orchestrating the kinds of killings that Albert is carrying out — on a group of 12 people known as the “damned.” Alberran wants to establish himself as a new leader in the Sanctum.

Back in 2008, Matthias and Linda use a secret code Matthias had learnt from his late grandfather to decipher a message to him, one that sparks an entire hunt that will hopefully lead to answers. He learns about the Templars and the Teutonic Order, a religious group that believes it must stamp out evil and keep the balance of good over evil. Matthias learns the secret that his great grandfather was indeed Admiral Canaris, who created a new Teutonic Order, called The Phoenix, and believed Hitler was being controlled by the Sanctum, and so needed to be eliminated.

In 1944, Berlin, Admiral Canaris tries to escape a failed plan to assassinate Hitler. He goes to see a young lieutenant called Nicholas and tells him he is in fact his father, who left him at an orphanage, years ago, in the care of the Teutonic Order. One year later, in 1945, at a convalescent hospital on Long Island, Nicholas is recovering, as news of the war’s end reaches him. Nicholas is to get a new identity to protect him so that he is not targeted for his family history.

Matthias learns from a close friend of his grandfather’s in Buenos Aires that his grandfather was in actual fact, Nicholas Klein, before he became Thomas Adkins. He reveals Matthias was chosen to continue the Phoenix Order, by keeping the relics safe from those who would do evil with them.

Matthias vows to avenge the deaths of his family members. He and Linda travel to Dijon in France. Alberran’s agent tries to kill them, but in a tousle, Matthias manages to stab him dead. When the agent’s phone rings and Alberran hears he has failed, and therefore in danger of upsetting the Sanctum, he kills himself. Matthias and Linda are now forever bound by the order they have saved.

About The Author

Spiros Gratsias is a native of Montreal, Canada, born to Greek immigrants. He has a master’s degree in manufacturing technology and thirty-five years’ experience in the aerospace and consumer goods industries. He has written three novels and is also a screenwriter.