Sanctus by Simon Toyne

From GoodReads:  Toyne’s Sanctus is, quite simply, one of the most extraordinary conspiracy thriller debuts in many years. In this electrifying, nonstop adventure, a young newspaper reporter, driven by the memory of her lost brother, uncovers a dark secret nurtured for 3,000 years by blood and lies by adherents of an ancient, unknown religion in a Vatican-like citadel hidden away for millennia from unwelcomed prying eyes.

Simon Toyne has crafted a conspiracy tale of so real that I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction! It has all the necessary elements of a great series: Secret religions (including scary fanatical monks), a Vatican like fortress and mysterious “Sacrament”. Of course, the identity of the Sacrament is not reveled until the final pages!

This is one of those books that I mourned at the ending. While I wanted to know the secret of the Sacrament, I was sad that this captivating tale was coming to an end. Again, I found myself wishing that this was a true story and was sad to realize that it was not. However, I will note that the author left room for a sequel with several threads of the story unresolved. Yeah!

I loved the main characters. Liv is a normal American girl tossed into the heart the conspiracy. She is immediately a heroine that I could identify with. In walks Gabriel, tall, dark and dangerous...Is he a good guy or a bad guy? Either way he's got my attention! My only complaint is that I needed to know more about them. I wanted more background information. Maybe in the sequel?

I loved the cover art. I would have gravitated toward this book based on the cover, if it had not appeared in my mailbox!

Thanks to William Morrow an imprint of HarperColins Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel.