Books like The crusader by Michael Alexander Eisner

During World War II, a foster girl in Nazi Germany steals books to share with neighbors and a hidden Jewish man, proving literature’s power to nourish the soul amid darkness.

A historical novel set in the 12th century, focusing on the building of a cathedral and the surrounding community's fortunes amidst historical events of the time.

A young scholar uncovers a labyrinthine family legacy, tracing the truth of Vlad the Impaler and the myth of Dracula across centuries and borders, risking life and sanity to confront an ancient evil.

Hugh De Luc's quest to find Sophie, kidnapped during the Crusades, is fraught with danger and historical intrigue.

A Scottish crusader named Sir Kenneth proves his honor and discovers his destiny in Sir Walter Scott’s tale of chivalry, romance, and deceit during the Third Crusade.

Cotton Malone, a retired Justice Department operative turned antiquarian bookseller, is drawn back into a perilous treasure hunt for the lost riches of the Knights Templar, pursuing a rival of assassins and uncovering a conspiracy that could alter the modern world.

For power. For passion. For glory. The epic story of the knights templar.Born in 1150 to a noble family in the Kingdom of Western Gotaland, young Arn Magnusson is marked early on by a miraculous and fateful event. When the boy inexplicably recovers after falling from the parapet of his ancestral home, his mother finds herself beholden to a promise made in a moment of prayer. Arn, second-born son of Magnus Folkesson, will live his life in the service of God — sent from his family to do holy work and to prepare for a position in the priory.At Varnhem monastery, Arn comes of age under the tutelage of Father Henri, a Cistercian monk devoted to his aristocratic pupil's education. However, grammar, math, and logic are not the only lessons: Brother Guilbert, the monastery blacksmith and former Knight Templar, finds Arn adept at training of a very different kind. Observing the boy's extraordinary talent with horse, sword, and bow, Father Henri, trusting in God's will, sends his charge into the world to fulfill a destiny that lies beyond the cloister walls.Returning home, Arn finds his monastic habits at odds with his clan's old and tested ways. Yet his family soon discovers that Arn has learned more than poetry and farm work, and he proves himself useful at a time when he is needed most. The murder of a king has brought Western Gotaland into a whirlwind of intrigue, and cunning lords from East and West are vying for power. And, when Arn meets the lovely Cecilia, he discovers this new and dangerous world holds other surprises too. Before he can claim her hand, however, the headstrong and naive noble makes a fateful mistake that will wrench him from his love and send him to a foreign war — to the Holy Land to battle infidels for twenty years.From the frozen landscapes of Northern Europe to the bloody battlefields of the Middle East, Arn will face brave knights, powerful queens, and treacherous kings. The first book in the international bestselling Crusades Trilogy, this thrilling epic of betrayal, faith, blood, and love sets "a Shakespearian quest for power" (Corriere della Sera, Italy) against the backdrop of the Holy Wars, witnessed through a vibrant, unorthodox lens.

A boy travels to Jerusalem to save his family’s lands and discovers a legendary relic in 'The Celtic Crusades' trilogy.

A young Englishman becomes a Knight of St. John, defending Christendom against pirates and the Ottoman Turks during the First Siege of Rhodes.

Set in 11th‑century Palermo under Norman rule, The Ruby in Her Navel follows young knight Thurstan Beauchamp as he navigates politics, faith, and personal loyalties while uncovering conspiracies against the king.

Duncan, son of Murdo, learns of a lost uncle who brings news of the Black Rood—a blood‑stained relic of the True Cross—threatened by greedy crusader barons. In quest of his father's legacy, Duncan sails to Jerusalem, where the Knights Templar hold the key to his fate and the future of the West.

Caitriona, heartened by her father's quest, follows the trail of the Holy Cup through Constantinople, Damascus and Aragon, confronting the Knights Templar and the Moors while seeking revenge and a sacred relic.

Set in 1187 Jerusalem, the novel follows Knight Rannulf Fitzwilliam as he witnesses the clash of Crusader politics, religious fervor, and the looming threat of Saladin while intertwined with King Baudouin’s fragile reign and Princess Sybilla’s defiant claim.

This book takes you back to the time of the First Crusade where you have to travel right across Europe and risk your life to fight foreigners who follow a different faith.

In 1145, Brother Cadfael seeks to rescue a missing knight, Olivier de Bretagne, after a key castle’s castellan is murdered and his father and uncle fall into political turmoil.

Set in North Africa during Richard the Lionheart's reign, the stories are fast moving and interesting, flavored with a heady dose of spice and politically incorrect correction of the alluring female fatales. I've re-read these several times, and enjoyed the return visits. If only Ridley Scott had known of these books before he started his ill-fated Kingdom of Heaven. It would have been a much more entertaining movie had it been based upon John Cleve's works, that's for sure. One suggestion, if you're searching for the books, is perhaps try the used romance bookshops. They'll be quite a bit more reasonable than the collectible versions.