“Toyne’s descriptive skill makes for a story that is cinematically vivid. . . . the relentless pace makes the action addicting.” - Publishers Weekly
“Toyne cranks up the drama with the second entry in a conspiracy thriller series. . . . Well-written, fast-paced and delivered with an admirable economy of words, this book offers an edge-of-the-seat story filled with action and adventure, as well as a puzzle that the main characters must somehow put together before the world simply disappears. . . . [A] taut thriller.” - Kirkus Reviews on The Key
“If you like your secrets deeply hidden and your action breakneck, then Toyne’s sophomore thriller is just the ticket. . . . As in his debut, Toyne delivers a gripping, intricate story of religious and political intrigue that’s sweeping yet somehow intimate and very personal. Wow.” - Booklist (starred review) on The Key
“A cliffhanger . . . that aspires to towering heights . . . Toyne has a realistic bent and the derring-do and scriptural intrigue never get too unwieldy or too unworldly. His characters, too, are well-rounded and credible . . . A bonus: Toyne’s battery of good guys include strong women characters, with no condescension; too many books of this kind treat women as afterthoughts, if not mere love interests. And there’s some nice elaboration of the plot, keeping the reader guessing whether the heretics are good guys or bad . . . A promising debut . . . . the right ingredients are all here.” - Kirkus Reviews
“A far better written, smarter book than The Da Vinci Code . . . Sanctus has enough delicious plots and counterplots to fill a cathedral. . . . What elevates Sanctus above the pack is that Toyne is a compelling writer who covers this ground with confidence and flair. . . . Toyne handles all of the disparate narratives with aplomb . . . it’s a fun roller-coaster ride. . . . Sanctus is highly enjoyable.” - The Globe and Mail
“A fast moving, thoroughly enjoyable, adventure—plenty of action, plenty of intrigue and a wonderfully imaginative reinterpretation of a slice of religious history. The sort of novel to devour in one sitting.” - Kate Mosse, New York Times bestselling author of Labyrinth
“A huge, bold thriller, Sanctus is a bloody, twistedly perverse story about a battle against a secretive group of heretical, conspiring monks . . . . the most engaging writing I’ve read in months.” - San Jose Mercury News
“A wickedly clever call to adventure from beyond the grave. A bloody confrontation against a heretical Church in a fallen, alternate universe. A tale as theologically twisted and perverse as the snake in the Garden of Eden. Lies, lies and more lies. In other words, damn good fiction.” - Thomas Greanias, author of The 34th Degree
“Hard to think of it as a debut, better to think of it as the beginning of a massive new adventure, and a so-long to Dan Brown. . . .” - The Daily Mirror (UK)
“[A] cool, confident debut. A talented new writer who instinctively grasps the broad rules of superior action thrillers and adapts them with pace, grace, humor and a keen eye for cinematic effect.” - Daily Telegraph (London)