The Sanctuary

I love a plot that doesn't take you where you want the story to go. Surprises are inspiring! No one falls in love; no sex (except a 30 year ago affair w/o details) You don't know the good guy from the bad guy; who is after what? Kept me on the edge until the end. I loved Ken Follett's POTE and the sequel,W w/o E. I enjoyed the plot of Sanctuary reflecting to the past, as much as I enjoyed the historical fiction of Follett. I would like to read more historical fiction as I enjoy reading the lifestyles which take me back to 1979 when I backpacked GB and Europe and saw how people were actually living in the 50's of the U.S.

This is the second audio book we have listened to by this author. The Last Templar by Khoury was so good we were eager to hear this one. Five stars, thumbs up,terrific, a great book.

Raymond Khoury's THE SANCTUARY receives veteran narrator Richard Ferrone's smooth voice as it provides a powerful new political thriller set in 1750 Naples and 2003 Baghdad. Three men and a swordfight, a deep-hold secret, and a mission which crosses centuries to modern-day Baghdad politics creates a gripping saga.

This book was a very pleasant shock after reading the last Templar. There are similarities in the way the story weaves between the past and present, but the interwoven details of Beirut, the surrounding country, as well as extreme south eastern Turkey and extreme northern Iraq, the people, the sites, delights and hazards were a real treat. The location of the end of the book is fascinating - and entirely believable, an interesting thing too is it is not far from the part of the old USSR where people in a remote isolated village were said to possess just such a secret. Documentation of it all was impossible because the people were too old for what were considered "reliable records" to have been kept. All that could be verified about these people was they were very very old and in exceptionally good physical condition. Another thing which is great about this book is the note at the end from the author - with a further discussion of the big secret and bringing it into the context of what is verifiably real, along with links to further information. The story moved from one shock to another - with twists and subtleties that drew me in and kept me hooked. It was far better, far more believable than DaVinci Code. I was thrown by the mention of Hyenas - but have learned that detail as well as the threat of wolves is very real in those mountains. I am perplexed by some of the other reviews - I had to read them to learn why this book wasn't rated a solid 5 stars. It's still a mystery. Because I quite simply can't recommend this book too highly. I have little patience for most novels, but I'll read anything I can get from this exceptional author.

It's hard to believe that Raymond Khoury's debut novel, THE LAST TEMPLAR, was released only a year ago. Primarily known as a screenwriter for film and television, Khoury immediately established himself as a successful thriller novelist. He further secures his position with his sophomore effort, which may well be the most ambitious fictional work of 2007. THE SANCTUARY is broad in scope and bold in premise. Spanning time from 1750 to the present, and the world from Italy to the Middle East, the book concerns a quest for that most elusive of treasures: the elixir of, if not immortality, then a greatly increased lifespan. Chief among those engaged in the pursuit is the hakeem, a medical genius whose brilliance is exceeded only by the single-minded barbarism of his experiments. A legendary text --- a mysterious, ancient volume bearing the image of the Ouroboros, a dragon-like snake swallowing its own tail --- once thought to be lost forever and rumored to contain the lost secret of prolonged life suddenly surfaces. The mere possibility of its authenticity sets off a violent chain reaction of hot pursuit involving the hakeem and a number of enigmatic individuals, including Evelyn Bishop, an archeologist who finds herself at the center of the hunt and whose brief affair with a mysterious stranger some three decades previously may have indirectly set the current events in motion. Each of the players has an agenda of some kind, but it quickly becomes evident that the hakeem will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. This includes kidnapping Bishop, with the result that her daughter, Mia, is brought dramatically into the proceedings along with two strangers, one of whom has an odd and significant tie not only to Bishop but to the very secret that everyone wishes to possess. The action is almost non-stop, and on those rare occasions when things do slow down a bit, it is tacitly understood that the respite will be temporary. Khoury's research here is incredibly thorough, so much so that one can only marvel at his ability to keep the story on track, given the multitude of ancillary stories that easily could have been pursued by the historical issues raised. Perhaps one or more of them will be the topic of another work --- I'm hoping for something involving the Phoenicians --- but THE SANCTUARY has enough adventure, excitement and speculation to fill three books. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub