In 2007 Simon Toyne quit his job and moved to France to fulfil a long-held desire to write a thriller. After a sleepless night crossing the channel, he and his family abandoned a planned eight-hour drive to their new home and limped instead to the city of Rouen. It was the sight of the sharp spire of Rouen Cathedral piercing the pre-dawn sky that gave birth to the fiction Citadel of SANCTUS.SANCTUS, his first novel, became an immediate bestseller. To date it has been translated into 23 languages and published in 40 countries.

Praise for SANCTUS: 'A cool, confident debut ... with pace, grace and a keen eye for cinematic effect' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Intriguing and engaging ... Relentless pace. An exciting and interesting read. I look forward to returning to Ruin, where there are plenty of stories waiting to be told' THE SUN 'High concept, debut conspiracy thrillers don't come with higher expectations than this. 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' MIRROR '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 'The stellar first in a trilogy ... The truly mind-boggling revelation will leave astounded readers eager for the next instalment' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY