What is Simon Toyne reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Simon Toyne, author of Sanctus.

The entry begins:

I’m about to set off on a book tour so I’m trying to read the books of the writers I’m about to meet on various panels.

As I write, my wife is packing for a trip to Switzerland where I’ll be on a panel with the UK crime novelist Mark Billingham and I’ve nearly finished Scaredy Cat’ his second book in the Inspector Thorne series. It reminds me a little of Thomas Harris’s Red Dragon in structure – the book that introduced Hannibal Lecter to the world – as it bounces back and forth between a serial killer and the cop trying to catch him. I’m slightly obsessed with...[read on]

Among the early praise for Sanctus:

"When you read Sanctus, you'll see just how frightening, ruthless and relentlessly entertaining an order of monks can be. Haunting in the best way."
—Brad Meltzer, New York Times bestselling author of The Inner Circle

“If a thriller has to be one thing it’s thrilling, and Simon Toyne’s Sanctus is thrilling with bells on….A roller coaster ride through a dark world of conspiracy and betrayal.”
—Paul Christopher, author of The Templar Conspiracy

"Stellar... The [end's] truly mind-boggling revelation will leave astounded readers eager for the next installment."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This is a big, bold thriller... Elegantly written and imaginatively plotted, with a smart heroine and an appropriately evil villain, this is a must-read for fans of high-concept thrillers involving grand conspiracies. Yes, it will appeal to Da Vinci Code fans, but the prose is much more textured."
—Booklist (starred review)

"Toyne has written a well-developed, exciting debut, the first volume of a projected trilogy, that doesn't tip off the ending midnovel like so many of its kind. Its "just one more page, one more chapter" urgency keeps you reading into the night, and the final revelation of the Citadel's secret is haunting."
—Library Journal

Learn more about the book and author at Simon Toyne's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

My Book, The Movie: Sanctus.

Writers Read: Simon Toyne.

--Marshal Zeringue