The Key

May 28, 2012
The middle volume of Toyne’s Sanctus trilogy (after 2011’s Sanctus) fails to deliver on the promise of the first. In the ancient Turkish city of Ruin, hostility to Catholicism has prompted someone to set off explosives at the Citadel, “the oldest continually inhabited structure on earth and the original center of the Catholic Church,” and the resulting damage has led to the first ever appearance in public of any of the Citadel’s occupants. Speculation runs rampant that the survivors of the bombing possess the real secret of the sacrament, another church-foundation-rattling possibility that, unfortunately for the Vatican, coincides with another, more mundane crisis. Cardinal Secretary of State Clementi has learned that trillions of dollars have disappeared from the church’s coffers and hangs his hope for a solution on the secrets of Ruin. Readers should be prepared for less than engaging protagonists and trite setups (e.g., one character avoids being murdered by pure chance). Agent: Alice Saunders, LAW Agency.

August 27, 2012
When the Citadel, the original center of the Roman Catholic Church in Turkey, is compromised by a terrorist act, the revelation of ancient secrets and modern lies threatens to destroy the Church. At the center of this storm is Liv Adamsen, a woman who survived the attack, but lost her memory and finds her life in peril for reasons she cannot remember. With his sturdy, deep, and English-accented voice, narrator Simon Vance deftly captures the suspense of the prose and commands listener attention throughout the production. During moments of heightened drama, Vance slows his delivery to enhance the tensionâalmost as if he's teasing the listener. And Vance glides from accent to accent without hesitation, while also creating unique male and female voices. A William Morrow hardcover.