“Sanctus” by Simon Toyne, published by William Morrow.

Category – Mystery/Thriller

In Ruin, Turkey, there is a monastery build on the side of a mountain. It is called The Citadel and it is a country unto itself. No one, except the Monks, have access to the facility that contains untold ancient artifacts, including its most sacred possession, The Sacrament.

Most monks are of the order “Sanctus” but there are a few that have obtained the order of “Sancti”. The Sancti have the privilege of seeing The Sacrament.

Brother Samuel has just been initiated into the Sancti and upon seeing The Sacrament climbs to the highest part of the monastery and jumps. He times his jump so that he lands in an area not controlled by the monks. The authorities find that he is brutally scarred and that he has swallowed some apple seeds that contain a riddle. He also has a phone number etched into his belt.

The phone number is his sister who lives in New York. This is baffling because no monk can have any living relative.

His sister arrives in Turkey to claim her brother’s body but his body disappears.
She finds help in a secret society that has been in opposition to the monks and their secret.

There is no end to the deceit, treachery, action, and mystery throughout the book. “Sanctus” comes with an ending that is very unusual and certainly, in certain minds, will find it controversial even though it is a work of fiction.