The Sanctuary

Ho-Hum

I rather enjoyed his first book, The Last Templar. But this one just started off slow and never really picked up the pace until the end. And then it seemed like all the action was stuffed into a few chapters. It felt a bit off from the rest of the book. I don't really have a problem with the storyline just the way the book was put together.
I did have a rather large problem with the way the author chose to portray wolves. Like wolves don't get a bad enough rap without fiction writers adding to it. A pack of wolves that had meat to eat, would not abandon it and come after two living people with guns and a fire and try to kill them for no reason. If the wolves were starving, why would they leave a fresh kill that was enough for all of them to try and go after to people with weapons? Totally ridiculous. And the author didn't portray a wolf hunt properly at all, if you can even believe they would hunt these people for no reason. The wolves in the book seemed crazed and ultra aggressive. Maybe they all had rabies. But nothing of that sort was ever mentioned. They were just vicious killer wolves that killed for the sake of killing. Absurd!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

great read, but definitively not as good as The Last Templar.

In the dungeons of an old Templar castle, a dying man bequests an ancient half burned book to his young inquisitor. This act starts a feud between two families in the 18th century: Raimondo di Sangro, a prince, on one side; and a chameleon man who goes by many names¿the most recent is the Count of Montferrat. Di Sangro has gone overboard to get the secret that the count has been hiding for generations¿to no avail. Once again the Count eludes him.

Present day, in Lebanon, Evelyn Bishop, a famous archeologist in her sixties that calls Lebanon home, is visited by an old acquaintance, Farouk. He is a fellow Iraqi that was on an excavation with her in Iraq thirty years before. Farouk is trying to get cash, which he needs desperately to escape Iraq, and proposes to Evelyn to sell a loot that was offered to him. Among the loot¿s Polaroid that Farouk shows Evelyn, there is one of a book which clearly shows the picture of a snake in the form of a circle biting his tail. She can't stay long with him because she had prior plans and they agree to meet later

Evelyn had an appointment for lunch with her daughter, Mia, who just got to Beirut on an assignment¿she is going to use Lebanese DNA to prove that both country's inhabitants, Christians and Muslims alike, are descendants of one culture, one tribe¿hoping to inspire a feeling of unity.

Mia notices her mother is not quite herself, and Evelyn tells her about Farouk and the Ouroboros or "tail devourer" snake that the old friend has brought. Evelyn reveals to Mia that last time she saw an Ouroboros was on the dig where she met Mia¿s father, who is supposedly now dead.

All this talk makes Evelyn late for Farouk¿s meeting, thus she rushes out, leaving behind her cell phone. Mia notices this, and runs back to the hotel to catch her mother. She sees her talking to an Arab, which she imagines is Farouk. Mia had also noted a suspiciously parked Mercedes and a dark figures, so she yelled her mother's name to warn her. Farouk escapes, but Evelyn is taken hostage after a few bullets fly in the night by the people in the Mercedes.

Here is where the thrilling part of the book starts. There are three forces at bay, competing to get the Ouroboros book:

Tim Corben, a CIA agent, who rescues Mia from the rough men several times and protects her. Mia is scared by the strange dedication to the case Tom displays, but has no choice to join forces with him. It is Mia who, through her mother's notes and computer research, figures out what the Ouroboros is all about¿but Corben dismisses it.

Then, there is Mr. Kirkwood, a worker for the UNESCO, who is also helping Mia rescue her mother. Mia confides her findings with him. Mr. Kirkwood takes a keen interest in resolving the mystery of the Ouroboros¿again making Mia both nervous and suspicious.

Finally, there is the hakeem (the doctor), who is the most sinister of them all. He has a concealed, state of the art lab, somewhere in the Middle East, where gruesome experiments have been carried out on men, women, and children. He holds Evelyn hostage and wants to use her as bait to get the book¿for he has the formula, but the formula is missing a key ingredient. The hakeem hopes that the book will help him find the missing ingredient.

As the power of the Ouroboros comes to light, multiple car chases, murders, lies, and change of alliances occur until we discover that the 18th century feud is alive and still ongoing.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Don't Seek Sanctuary

Fortunately, Raymond Khoury¿s formula for The Sanctuary does not employ Hitler, the Cold War, Nazis, Templars (well, just a little), Columbian drug lords, Mary Magdalene, the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail or the KGB to attract readers. Unfortunately, its plot does rely upon some very bad archeology, Saddam Hussein, a seventeenth century noble as confused about his identity as we are about his relevance to the story, the Portuguese Inquisition, cardboard characters, the Philosopher¿s Stone, bloodthirsty Iraqis, the CIA, and Templars (just a little). Mr. Khoury¿s recipe for best sellerdom mixes in plenty of bloody shoot `em ups to keep his readers awake. I am glad that I had waited to buy this book until it came out in paperback and went on remainder sale, but you can save even more by picking up a Marvel or two at your local comics stand, They are cheaper, faster to read, just as thrilling and have color pictures.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Premise was Great...

After the wonderful first book from this new author, I could hardly wait for the next However, it was not as smooth and did not capture me as before. I look forward to giving this author another go

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

all star dud!!!!!!!!!!

I loved his first book, the Last Templar, his newest book was a real yawner, which is disappointing, I am always seeking new authors but this current reading was dull, confusing & I had difficulty keeping up w/all the characters. I hope he does better next time. I would not have read the whole book, except after spending my hard-earned monies on it,I felt compelled to finish, I now wish I hadn't wasted my time.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

HISTORICAL MYSTERY SPY THRILLER

This book touches on several genres and seeks to offer something to everyone. The historical flashbacks were my favorite parts of the book. The descriptions of Beirut and the fatalism yet guarded optimism of its inhabitants was interesting. The reporting hierarchy of CIA field offices and the relationship of CIA field operatives to local authorities was also interesting. The guarding of an ancient elixir that could dramatically alter society was understandable. However, some of the problems cited as inherent in its release were a bit simplistic. The impact on society of its release today might actually be greater and more disruptive than it would have been in previous centuries.

Gripping and entertaining - worth a read.

I've read a couple of Khoury's "Templar" books and found this one to be on par with the others in terms of suspense, interesting characters, and an intriguing historical context - both the mythology and the current events of the past decade. Entertaining book. If you enjoyed his other work, this one won't dissapoint.

too expensive

buy it at walmart for 4.00 ...............

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

What do you believe in?

As a Dan Brown fan, this book was recommended by a B&N salesperson. So glad I took their advice. Great plot, descriptive locale details, believable characters and the plot refues to let you put the book down until you've read it all! Must read as followup to Last Templar.

Gift: My husband would have passed on it

I bought this book as a gift for my husband. He did not like it. Said it was predictable and that the writing did not draw him in. He read the ending and then didn't finish the book. Overall, he said he would have passed it by if he had seen it in the bookstore and had a chance to read a few pages.

James Rollins

James Rollings never disappoints, a real page turner, as all his others. Could not put it down.

a reviewer

In 1749 Naples at the height of the inquisition, the Prince of San Severo wants the knowledge that his prisoner has. During the fight, the prisoner escapes with the irate Prince in pursuit searching in various countries under various names for something that will change the world.----------------- In 2003, in Al-Hillah in Iraq archeologist Evelyn Bishop finds a series of underground tunnel chambers and in one of them an ancient codex. On one cell wall is the Ouroboros, the snake that eats it self. She met and fell in love with Tom Webster and together they discovered it was a sanctuary for the Brethren of Purity. In 2006 in Lebanon, Farouk who worked with Evelyn in 2003 has the codex and wants to sell it to her so he can leave the country. Evelyn is kidnapped by someone who wants the codex her daughter Mia with CIA agent Jim Corbrn tries to rescue her mother. The kidnapper wants the book at any price and the seller has them in a secure place. This mission is personnel because the sadistic scientist experimented with Hussein¿s approval on men, women, and children in a horrible way to find something everyone wants to get their hands on, something that if let loose could change the world forever.------------------- Raymond Khoury follows up his best seller THE LAST TEMPLAR with another exciting and exhilarating thriller THE SANCTUARY. There are several groups and individuals who want the formulae found in the codex and what makes this tale so fascinating is that readers are never sure, with the exception of Evelyn and Mia who the heroes and the villains are. This is an action oriented story but Mr. Khoury develops his characters so readers can either empathize with them or despise them.---------------------- Harriet Klausner

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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