Author Description

Product Description 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 Earth: a mountain called the Citadel, a Vatican-like city-state that towers above the city of Ruin in southern Turkey. But this is no ordinary suicide; it is a symbolic act. And thanks to the media, it is witnessed by the entire world. Few people understand its consequence. For foundation worker Kathryn Mann and others around the world, it is evidence that a hopeful new beginning is at hand. For the secretive monks who live inside the Citadel, it may mean the end of everything they have built--and they will kill, and torture, to stop it. For Liv Adamsen, a New York reporter, it spurs the memory of her lost brother and begins the next stage of a journey into the heart of her own identity. At that journey's end lies a discovery that will change everything. Review '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 About the Author Simon Toyne graduated from Goldsmiths College in London with a degree in English and Drama then worked in television for almost twenty years before becoming a novelist. SANCTUS is his first book and also the first volume of the Ruin trilogy. You can find out more at www.simontoyne.net From the Back Cover 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.SanctusA 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....