THE SANCTUARY
Raymond Khoury
Signet
Thriller
Hardcover: 052595029X
Paperback: 9780451223197

• About the Book
• Read an Excerpt
• Author Interview -- August 24, 2007

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

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