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Sanctus

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Sanctus

By: Simon Toyne
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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About this listen

The bestselling thriller debut of 2011 – the apocalyptic conspiracy thriller that has set the world alight…

REVELATION OR DEVASTATION?

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 …

SANCTUS is an apocalyptic conspiracy thriller like no other – it re-sets the bar for excitement and fascination, and marks the debut of a major talent in Simon Toyne.

©2011 Simon Toyne (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Action & Adventure Anthologies & Short Stories Crime Thrillers Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Short Stories Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime Scary Exciting Mystery

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Critic reviews

'A fast moving, thoroughly enjoyable, adventure – plenty of action, plenty of intrigue and a wonderfully imaginative reinterpretation of a slice of religious history. The sort of novel to devour in one sitting’ KATE MOSSE

‘A cool, confident debut … A talented new writer who instinctively grasps the broad rules of superior action thrillers and adapts them with pace, grace, humour and a keen eye for cinematic effect’ DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘In this thriller Toyne creates an intriguing and engaging centrepiece in The Citadel … Relentless pace … An exciting and interesting read. I look forward to returning to Ruin, where there are plenty of stories waiting to be told’ THE SUN

‘High concept, debut conspiracy thrillers don’t come with higher expectations than this. Hard to think of it as a debut, better to think of it as the beginning of a massive new adventure, and a so-long to Dan Brown’ MIRROR

All stars
Most relevant  
If you are looking for something that isn’t very difficult to follow with enough happening that you don’t get bored then this is a good option. It does have some religious stuff in it, but like those books that write about biblical things in an alternate universe type thing.

Captivating and an easy listen

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Where does Sanctus rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the books i have enjoyed the most this year

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the fact that it was really fast paced - it was like watching a good drama on TV

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Keeble’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to Jonathan Keeble before but he is a good narrator. he really brings the story to life

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

what is the ancient secret that men will die for?

Any additional comments?

great book, can't wait to read the next one!

A really good read

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Would you listen to Sanctus again? Why?

I would listen to this book again at some point if only to get to grips with the characters. There are qute a few of them and the story flits between their points of view, so sometimes it is difficult to keep track of what is going on if not paying 100% attention.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gabriel, because he was just so down to earth

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Keeble’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I've not listened to any other recordings by Jonathan Keeble as far as I'm aware, but he does an excellent job of narrating this book. Characters have different voices so it is easier to follow this story and the accents are not as confusing as it would otherwise be.
I would definitely be happy to listen to more by this narrator.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I wouldn't want to listen to this all in one got, but I did find that as it drew towards the end I didn't want to stop.

Any additional comments?

An interesting book sometimes, specially at the start, I felt the point of view shifted too often between different characters and it was rather confusing until the main ones started to emerge and the story became clearer.
I did not expect the ending, and it seems quite fitting for the story. I was not disappointed and felt it was a good way to finish.

All in all recommended.

A good story that keeps you interested

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It's been a while since a book has captured me like this one. Gripped from beginning to end. It crescendos perfectly gaining intensity. Look forward to the next book. The narrator is excellent and captures the feel of the book. The author would be proud of the way it was read. Hope others enjoy it as much as I did.

Gripping story. Excellent book!

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Too fantastical for me. Complicated plot, busy, too long and unbelievable. Reminded me if the Celestine Prophecy, but not as good.

A Fantasy

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This was a really enjoyable book. The story was fast paced and the characters were interesting and had very interesting stories, especially the main female character. I really want to rave more about the story but I’m afraid of giving anything away so all I can say is it’s a thriller with a fantastical element to it! I couldn't turn this off as I had to know what happened next. 5 stars also for the narrator who does a marvelous job of bringing all the characters to life. This is the first part of a trilogy and I am already counting the days until the next part is released.

Excellent Thriller

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I rarely write a full review but this book deserves it. Absolutely brilliant. I found myself listening to it for hours at a time, couldn’t “put it down” so to speak. No idea where it was going or why but it was compelling, beautifully written and the narrator was excellent. Gripping to the end

What a book

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Enjoyable story that kept me engaged from start to finish. I'm not sure I'd have had patience with it if I'd read it, as the whole narrative is pretty far fetched, but Jonathan Keble's narration had me hooked. I'm undecided about reading the rest of the trilogy.

Stunning narration

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Sanctus is the first part of a trilogy by Simon Toyne and is, to put it bluntly, absolutely unputdownable. Obviously I can't say too much about the plot or it will spoil the storyline for others but, suffice to say it has sufficient twists and turns to satisfy even the most demanding reader/listener. Finally I must say that the reading is excellent... Jonathan Keeble gives an outstanding performance as ever. I have already purchased Relic which is the second part and am waiting with bated breath for the third instalment to arrive on Audible. A five star listening experience.

Sanctus (unabridged)

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gripping and well read but became a bit unbelievable for me towards the end and it seems now i have to read a sequel to find the ending. annoying

kept my interest

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