[[quoteright:166:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lab_1182.bmp]]

A novel by Kate Mosse first published in 2005, which is best described as [[GenreBusting an historical mystery/conspiracy thriller with supernatural elements]], set in both the Middle Ages and present day France. Not to be confused with the film ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' starring David Bowie.

There are two main storylines at work, with the chapters alternating regularly between each one. In 2005, Doctor Alice Tanner is working on an archaeology site in the south of France when she is drawn to a hidden cave in the hills. There she finds two skeletons, one grasping a mysterious book and a ring with a labyrinth design. Struck by a strong sense of déjà vu, Alice soon realizes that there are plenty of other people who have a strong interest in what she found within the cave, and no qualms about using violence to get to it.

In 1209, seventeen year old Alaïs goes to fetch herbs and discovers a dead body in the river, its thumb removed and throat cut. With that discovery, her father reveals to her his long-held secret: that he is one of the guardians of three books that contain the secrets of the Holy Grail. With an enemy army moving against Carcassonne and her devious older sister Oriane determined to get her hands on the books, it’s up to Alaïs to smuggle the trilogy to safety.

The two stories occur in a shared geography and occasionally intertwine, usually through dreams or visions. The novel relies heavily on historical events such as the massacre at Béziers and the Crusade against the Cathars in Occitania, from around 1200.

In 2012, ''Labyrinth'' was adapted into a two-part miniseries, filmed on-location in the medieval town of Carcassonne in southwest France and Cape Town, South Africa. Like the book, it jumps between modern and medieval France, and remains a reasonably faithful adaptation of the source material with only a few dramatic liberties. It stars Creator/VanessaKirby, Creator/JessicaBrownFindlay, Creator/KatieMcGrath, Creator/TomFelton, Sebastian Stan, Emun Elliott, Creator/TonyCurran, and Creator/JohnHurt. The trailer can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2H8ahNHOHo here]].

''Labyrinth'' was followed by two [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Successors]], ''Sepulchre'' (2009) and ''Citadel'' (2012), both of which also made use of the dual stories in different time periods running parallel to one another. Together they are unofficially known as the Languedoc trilogy.

! The book contains examples of:
* AbelAndCain: Alaïs and Oriane.
* AdventurerArchaeologist: Alice
* BabiesEverAfter: The epilogue reveals that Will and Alice married and have a baby daughter.
* CoolOldLady: Esclarmonde
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry
* GreenEyedMonster: Oriane's jealousy of Alaïs.
* MadonnaWhoreComplex: Very much so. In both past and present, the virtuous heroine is pitted against a more sexualized villainess.
* PrecociousCrush: Sahje toward Alaïs.
* RuleOfThree: There are three guardians for the three books that lead to the location of the Holy Grail.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: Will has two purposes: to provide the reader with insight into Marie-Cecile's life, and to be boyfriend material for Alice.
* SexIsEvil: Oriane's role as a villain is heavily linked to her promiscuity, resulting in some implicit SlutShaming by the narrative.
* TogetherInDeath: The skeletons that Alice finds in the cave at the beginning of the novel are eventually revealed to be [[spoiler:Alaïs and Guilhem]].
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: [[spoiler:Audric Baillard]]
* YoungAndInCharge: Viscount Trencavel

! The miniseries contains examples of:
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: In the book, Alaïs is described as "plain" and later as "neither plain nor beautiful". Here, she's played by Jessica Brown Findlay, who is a complete stunner.
* AdaptedOut: Oriane's husband Jehan Congost and Marie-Cecile's son Francois-Baptiste. Also, Jeanne Giraud.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Sahje toward Alaïs, who still loves her husband.
* AndStarring: Creator/TomFelton
* BastardBastard: [[spoiler:Oriane.]]
* BettyAndVeronica: Alaïs is the Betty, Oriane is the Veronica to Guilhelm's Archie.
* BigBadassBattleSequence: At the end of Part I.
* BittersweetEnding
* BloodKnight: Guy d'Évreux.
* CatapultNightmare: Subverted with Alaïs in her first scene.
* TheCameo: Kate Mosse appears briefly as a Montsegur tour guide.
* DeathByAdaptation: Shelagh. In the book it's strongly implied that she's rescued from the cave. In the miniseries, she's shot dead before the caravan she's in is set on fire. Also, Esclarmonde in the book lives a long life and dies peacefully; in the miniseries she succumbs to her injuries sustained by soldiers.
* ExcessiveEvilEyeshadow: Marie-Cecile
* FreudianExcuse: Oriane's loveless marriage with a much older man is dropped and replaced with a backstory in which she is actually the illegitimate child of a disreputable woman, explaining why she considers herself TheUnfavorite in her father's eyes.
* IdiotBall: In the book, Alice is drawn to the cave in the cliffs by her own instincts. In the mini-series, she spots the entrance due to rocks that have been dislodged after an earthquake and investigates ''minutes after the ground stops shaking''.
* ImpaledPalm: Guilhelm does this to Guy d'Évreux, who fully deserves it.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: There are few. [[spoiler: Guilhelm, Alaïs and particularly Oriane.]]
* IHaveBoobsYouMustObey: Oriane disrobes before asking Guilhem to bring her Alaïs's ring. Only when he refuses does she resort to {{blackmail}} by threatening to expose their affair.
* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: [[TheVamp Oriane]] is the dark, [[TheIngenue Alaïs]] is the light. Alice and Marie-Cecile also count.
* MrsRobinson: Sure, Marie-Cecile still looks gorgeous in her forties but...how many years of difference are there between her and Will?
* OminousLatinChanting
* PetTheDog: According to the director, Guilhem was given a dog in order to make him seem more sympathetic.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: Both Oriane and Alaïs are beautiful dark-haired girls with pale skin, though Oriane is more a EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette. Well, she ''is'' played by Creator/KatieMcGrath.
* Really700YearsOld: Sahje, who lives to tell Alais's story until he finally dies from a gunshot wound.
* ParentalFavoritism: Alaïs is obviously DaddysGirl because of her kindness and because [[spoiler:Oriane is not really Bertrand's daughter.]]
* PsychoticSmirk: It must be Creator/KatieMcGrath's CharacterTic.
* ReCut: The version available on Tubi has several bits cut, including the sex scene between Guilhem and Oriane.
* SacredHospitality: Is kept by Trencavel, but broken by Simeon de Montfort.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: As in the book, Will.
* SealedWithAKiss: Ends with Will and Alice kissing outside a cottage.
%%* SelfMadeOrphan: In a way, [[spoiler:Oriane.]]
* SexualKarma: When Guilhem has sex with [[TheIngenue Alais]], it's slow, loving and missionary style. When he has sex with [[AlphaBitch Oriane]], it's rough, quick and doggy style.
%%* SiblingTriangle
* ShipperOnDeck: Audric for Will and Alice.
* SlashedThroat: What happen if you betray the Noublesso.
* TogetherInDeath: The skeletons that Alice finds in the cave at the beginning of the film are eventually revealed to be [[spoiler:Alaïs and Guilhem]].
%%* TheWisePrince: Viscount Trencavel.
* WouldNotHitAGirl: Guilhelm to Oriane: "If you were a man, you would not leave this room alive." [[spoiler:Later it's subverted, as he kills her.]]