“The Voynich Enigma” is the third book written by Baz Cunningham, a New Martinsville native who now lives in St. Marys.

Baz Cunningham, a New Martinsville native who now lives in St. Marys, has published his third book, a novel, titled “The Voynich Enigma”.

He will be holding a book signing Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Baristas on Main Street in New Martinsville.

“The Voynich Enigma” is a tale about a 13th century manuscript that has defied all attempts at decoding for over 700 years. The Templars, at the end of their reign of power, are struggling to hide their vast treasures from the king and the pope. A ruthless, rich, and powerful Mamluk chieftain will stop at nothing to obtain the manuscript and discover the hiding place of the ancient Templar treasures. Two easy-going, but quick-witted, cousins, find themselves in way over their heads in a modern day adventure when an old parchment turns up with a key to the translation on a farm they own in West Virginia.

“These are the basic elements of this historical adventure story, which races from the Middle Ages to the present, and from France to the United States (West Virginia), as the mystery unravels and the cousins face death and discovery at the hands of the evil Mamluk in the caves in Provence and in a famous Parisian museum,” elaborated Cunningham.

“It is witty, fast-paced, laced with facts surrounding the manuscript and the Templar legacy. This is a novel for readers who like history, adventure, and a good story.”

Cunningham’s previous two books were “Hills Ain’t Jes’ Dirt”, short stories mostly about New Martinsville people, and “Summits Bathed in Glory”, short stories that centered around real and imaginary people in the Ohio Valley area.

Cunningham retired last year after 40 years of working in research and development and sales in the chemical industry. He is married to Carol Sue and they have three children, all married, and five grandchildren, with another on the way. He enjoys sports, reading, writing, gardening, traveling, and playing the piano and keyboard.

“The Voynich Enigma” sells for $15 and part of the profits are being donated to charity.