Synopsis: The certainties of the modern world are about to be blown apart by a three thousand year-old conspiracy nurtured by blood and lies …
A man throws himself to his death from the oldest inhabited place on the face of the earth, a mountainous citadel in the historic Turkish city of Ruin. This is no ordinary suicide but a symbolic act. And thanks to the media, it is witnessed by the entire world.
But few understand it. For charity worker Kathryn Mann and a handful of others in the know, it is what they have been waiting for. The cowled and secretive fanatics that live in the Citadel suspect it could mean the end of everything they have built – and they will kill, torture and break every law to stop that. For Liv Adamsen, New York crime reporter, it begins the next stage of a journey into the heart of her own identity.
And at that journey’s end lies a discovery that will change EVERYTHING …
Title: Sanctus
Author: Simon Toyne
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780007391554
Rating: 
I’ve had this book on my shelf – or if I’m completely honest – in my ‘to read’ category on my kindle for absolutely ages. I generally find I have to be in a certain mood for conspiracy thrillers and apparently I haven’t been in that mood for over a year. Finally, I bit the bullet and gave Sanctus a go … OK, if I’m honest again, I picked it out of my TBR jar and felt bad because I had put it back about 3 times before.
Given my hesitancy to start the book, I actually really liked it. The pace is ridiculously quick, with short chapters and quick cut backs adding to the feel of a ‘page turner’.
I also really enjoyed reading an apocalyptic conspiracy thriller that wasn’t based around the Vatican; too many authors have jumped on the Dan Brown bandwagon – there are so many of them that you can’t help but yawn when someone starts yapping on about the newest conspiracy thriller. Sanctus focuses on the Citadel in Ruin, Turkey, and delves into fundamental Christian beliefs and creates a twist to the tale.
I did, however, sometimes find the prose to be a bit too formulaic, but can see how it lends well to the fast-paced action that is necessary for the genre.
Overall, Sanctus is a great, easy and addictive read – the sequel, The Key, has already been purchased and is on the TBR list.
A Literary Mind 