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Published Sep 2011
496 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
One man’s sacrifice shocks the world ...
One woman’s courage threatens a conspiracy as old as humankind ...
And some will do anything—anything—to keep their secrets in the dark.
Sanctus
A man climbs a cliff face in the oldest inhabited place on earth, a mountain known as the Citadel, a Vatican-like city-state that towers above the city of Ruin in modern-day Turkey. But this is no ordinary ascent. It is a dangerous, symbolic act. And thanks to the media, it is an event witnessed by the entire world.
Few people understand its consequence. But for foundation worker Kathryn Mann and a handful of others, it’s evidence that a revolution is at hand. For the Sancti, the cowled and secretive monks who live inside the Citadel, it could mean the end of everything they have built. They will stop at nothing to keep what is theirs, and they will break every law in every country and even kill to hold it fast. For American reporter Liv Adamsen, it spurs the memory of the beloved brother she lost years before, setting her on a journey across the world and into the heart of her own identity.
There, she will make a discovery so shocking that it will change everything. . . .
"Starred Review. [S]tellar first in a projected trilogy, a thriller in the Dan Brown tradition...[A] truly mind-boggling revelation will leave astounded readers eager for the next installment." - Publishers Weekly
"Throwing his hat in with the religious conspiracy thriller crowd, former British television producer Toyne has written a well-developed, exciting debut, that doesn't tip off the ending midnovel like so many of its kind." - Library Journal
"A promising debut. One hopes for a more tightly structured narrative next time around, but the right ingredients are all here." - Kirkus
This information about Sanctus was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Simon Toyne has worked in British television for twenty years. As a writer, director, and producer, he has worked on several award-winning shows, one of which won a BAFTA. He lives in England with his wife and family. Sanctus is his first book and the first volume of the Ruin trilogy.
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