A gripping new police procedural thriller from Simon Toyne featuring criminologist Dr Laughton Rees and DCI Tannahill Khan.

When a headless corpse washes up on the bank of the Thames, DCI Tannahill Khan knows this wasn’t accidental – the killer wanted the body found. This is just the beginning.

The post mortem reveals a shocking discovery. Written on the dead man’s arm is Forensic Criminologist Dr Laughton Rees’ home address.

With her life in danger and more bodies washing up along the river, Laughton and Tannahill are in a race against time to stop the killer before Laughton’s own name reaches the top of his list

'Count to three,' her mother told her, the last words she would ever speak. An Impossible Crime Scene A wealthy woman is found brutally murdered in the locked fortress of her London mansion. Surrounding her are four mysterious objects, including a book on forensics by Dr Laughton Rees. An Inescapable Past As a teenager, Laughton's life was destroyed after witnessing her mother's brutal murder. Now a mother herself and forensic analyst, she is an expert on how to read crime scenes - but never works live cases. An Uncatchable Killer Pressured by the lead detective to help with the investigation, Laughton begins to realise that the objects left by the body are not just about the victim, they're also about her. Her childhood was destroyed by one killer. Now she must catch another before her daughter's is destroyed too. 'There are times when I read another author's novel and it's so darn good I just want to put down my own pen and retire because I can't match it. This is that book.' TESS GERRITSEN 'An intense, compelling page-turner.' STEVE CAVANAGH 'The pacing is superb and as the suspense ratchets up you will find it impossible to put the book down.' PETER ROBINSON 'A stunning novel! Part wily procedural, part relentless psychological thriller, Dark Objects will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.' JEFFERY DEAVER 'It's intelligent, insanely paced and brimming with fresh ideas - I doubt I'll read a better book this year.' M.W. CRAVEN 'A gripping, action-packed story filled with twists and tension.' STEPH BROADRIBB

'Count to three,' her mother told her, the last words she would ever speak. An Impossible Crime Scene A wealthy woman is found brutally murdered in the locked fortress of her London mansion. Surrounding her are four mysterious objects, including a book on forensics by Dr Laughton Rees. An Inescapable Past As a teenager, Laughton's life was destroyed after witnessing her mother's brutal murder. Now a mother herself and forensic analyst, she is an expert on how to read crime scenes - but never works live cases. An Uncatchable Killer Pressured by the lead detective to help with the investigation, Laughton begins to realise that the objects left by the body are not just about the victim, they're also about her. Her childhood was destroyed by one killer. Now she must catch another before her daughter's is destroyed too. 'There are times when I read another author's novel and it's so darn good I just want to put down my own pen and retire because I can't match it. This is that book.' TESS GERRITSEN 'An intense, compelling page-turner.' STEVE CAVANAGH 'The pacing is superb and as the suspense ratchets up you will find it impossible to put the book down.' PETER ROBINSON 'A stunning novel! Part wily procedural, part relentless psychological thriller, Dark Objects will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.' JEFFERY DEAVER 'It's intelligent, insanely paced and brimming with fresh ideas - I doubt I'll read a better book this year.' M.W. CRAVEN 'A gripping, action-packed story filled with twists and tension.' STEPH BROADRIBB

From the author of the Sanctus series comes a brilliant new serial killer thriller featuring forensic specialist Dr Laughton Rees and Detective Inspector Tannahill Khan.

Something deadly lurks in the forest around Cinderfield. Locals put the unusually high number of disappearances down to transients or runaways; some even blame the Cinderman, a figure of local legend rumoured to haunt the woods looking for unsuspecting victims.

Forensic specialist Laughton Rees doesn’t believe in monsters. Already investigating the area’s history of missing women, news of the latest ‘runaway’ Maddie Friar brings her to Cinderfield to find out the truth. But, from the gruff leader of an off-grid commune to the mysterious Earl who presides over the crumbling abbey in the heart of the forest, everyone in Cinderfield has something to hide.

As Laughton searches for answers, with the help of DCI Tannahil Khan back in London, someone is watching – cataloguing her every move, prepared to do anything to keep their dark secrets from coming to light.

The much anticipated final instalment in the bestselling conspiracy thriller trilogy by Simon Toyne, author of SANCTUS: 'Plenty of action, plenty of intrigue and wonderfully imaginative. The sort of novel to devour in one sitting' Kate Mosse. For all fans of Dan Brown. AFTER THE RISE, COMES THE FALL. The forbidden Citadel at the heart of the ancient Turkish city of Ruin opens its gates for the first time in history. Why now, after centuries of secrecy? A deadly disease has erupted within, and threatens to spread beyond its walls. Infected charity worker Gabriel Mann may hold the cure - but can one dying man stop an epidemic? Without him, former journalist Liv Adamsen is vulnerable, surrounded by strangers in the desert oasis that is her new home. Liv, however, has far bigger concerns than just her own life... In the USA, newly qualified FBI Agent Joe Shepherd investigates the disappearance of NASA's most senior professor. Is it a vanishing act, an abduction, or something darker? Shepherd's investigation approaches a powerful conspiracy with global reach, and profound consequences. For them all, this much is clear: something big is coming. Something that will change everything. But will it be a new beginning or the End of Days?

REVELATION OR DEVASTATION? The certainties of the modern world are about to be blown apart by a three thousand year-old conspiracy nurtured by blood and lies!

A man throws himself to his death from the oldest inhabited place on the face of the earth, a mountainous citadel in the historic Turkish city of Ruin. This is no ordinary suicide but a symbolic act. And thanks to the media, it is witnessed by the entire world. But few understand it.

For charity worker Kathryn Mann and a handful of others in the know, it is what they have been waiting for. The cowled and secretive fanatics that live in the Citadel suspect it could mean the end of everything they have built -- and they will kill, torture and break every law to stop that.

For Liv Adamsen, New York crime reporter, it begins the next stage of a journey into the heart of her own identity. And at that journey's end lies a discovery that will change everything!

Sanctus is an apocalyptic conspiracy thriller like no other -- it re-sets the bar for excitement and fascination, and marks the debut of a major talent in Simon Toyne.

The electrifying new thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author, Simon Toyne. Only one boy can see the darkness. Only one man can save him from it. 'Perfect for fans of Lee Child' Sun A MURDER An elderly tailor is found tortured and murdered in the ancient town of Cordes. Written in blood beside the body are the words: FINISHING WHAT WAS BEGUN. A SECRET But the dead man has left a cryptic message for his granddaughter and her son, Leo - one that puts them in immediate danger. A RACE They are forced to go on the run, accompanied by the enigmatic Solomon Creed. What began as small-town murder becomes a race to uncover a devastating secret dating from World War II. The few men who know the truth are being killed by a powerful organization, and only one man stands in its way. Only Solomon Creed can stop the murders. Only he can save the boy.

HOW CAN HE SAVE A MAN WHO IS ALREADY DEAD? 'Compelling, vivid and profound' PETER JAMES 'A fast-moving thriller that makes for an exhilarating read. Perfect for any fans of Lee Child' SUN 'Who is Solomon Creed? He's the hero of an epic new series of thrillers. Simple as that' MARK BILLINGHAM A PLANE CRASHES IN THE ARIZONA DESERT. When Solomon Creed emerges from the wreckage he remembers just one thing: that he must save a man in danger. A DEATH THAT CAN'T BE EXPLAINED. In the nearby town of Redemption, Holly Coronado buries her young husband. A terrible accident, or something more sinister? ONLY ONE MAN CAN EXPOSE THE TRUTH. When Solomon finds Holly, his search becomes a quest for the truth - and a race to expose a terrifying secret, hidden for generations, that could silence a town forever. The first in an electrifying series from Sunday Times bestselling author of SANCTUS, Simon Toyne

Conspiracy thrillers don't come any bigger or better than THE KEY - from the author of the bestselling thriller debut of 2011, SANCTUS: 'Plenty of action, plenty of intrigue and wonderfully imaginative. The sort of novel to devour in one sitting' Kate Mosse. Hounded. Haunted. Hunted. She is the most important person in the world. She is The Key. In the ancient Turkish city of Ruin, American journalist Liv Adamsen lies in an isolation ward staring at walls as blank as her memory. She knows she entered the monumental Citadel at the heart of Ruin but can remember only darkness. Something strange is stirring within her, whispering that she is 'the key'. But the key to what? For the Ghost, a mercenary operating in the Syrian Desert, Liv could unlock one of mankind's most potent secrets. For the brotherhood in the Citadel - now cursed by a terrible plague - her return is the only way to ensure their survival. And for a powerful faction in Rome, she threatens the very future of the Catholic Church. Hunted across continents and caught up in events that defy explanation, Liv turns to the only person she trusts - a charity worker named Gabriel Mann. Together their paths lead to a shocking discovery - one that will tear them apart and change the world forever...

When a cyber-attack at NASA's flight center in Maryland disables the Hubble space telescope and the Nobel prize-winning scientist in charge disappears, the only clues left are a cryptic countdown clock and a chilling message displayed on the missing man's computer: Mankind Must Look No Further.

FBI Agent Joe Shepherd discovers a note in the scientist's handwriting that reads "end of days" as well as further evidence linking the attack to strange events eight months earlier: an explosion at the Citadel, an ancient monastery in Turkey; a viral outbreak that occurred in its wake; and the disappearance of a journalist named Liv Adamsen and ex-special forces operative Gabriel Mann.

Shepherd's investigation leads him to the secrets at the very edge of the universe and also into his own past as the countdown clock continues. But what is the "end of days" and what does it really mean for mankind--will it be Revelation or Devastation?

From the author of the Sanctus series comes a brilliant new serial killer thriller featuring forensic specialist Dr Laughton Rees and Detective Chief Inspector Tannahill Khan ‘The ending is genuinely one of the most jaw-dropping ones I’ve read in a long time. Absolutely superb.’ M.W. Craven ‘Unnerved me to my core’ Sam Holland ‘Scared the bloody daylights out of me. The very definition of haunting’ Helen Fields ‘In the spirit of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta… Everything here suggests that Rees merits a long series run.’ Publisher’s Weekly Women are going missing Something deadly lurks in the forest around Cinderfield. Locals put the unusually high number of disappearances down to transients or runaways; some even blame the Cinderman, a figure of local legend rumoured to haunt the woods looking for unsuspecting victims. Vanishing without a trace Forensic specialist Laughton Rees doesn’t believe in monsters. Already investigating the area’s history of missing women, news of the latest ‘runaway’ Maddie Friar brings her to Cinderfield to find out the truth. No one’s talking But, from the gruff leader of an off-grid commune to the mysterious Earl who presides over the crumbling abbey in the heart of the forest, everyone in Cinderfield has something to hide But what lies in the shadows? As Laughton searches for answers, with the help of DCI Tannahil Khan back in London, someone is watching – cataloguing her every move, prepared to do anything to keep their dark secrets from coming to light

Hunted. Hounded. Haunted.

She is the most important person in the world. She is The Key

Journalist Liv Adamsen has escaped the highly-secretive Citadel in the ancient city of Ruin and now lies in isolation, staring at hospital walls as blank as her memory. Despite her inability to recall, she feels possessed by an unexplained sensation and plagued by whispers only she can hear: "KuShiKaam," the key.

To others the meaning is clear. For "the Ghost," a mercenary operating in Syria, Liv may hold the key to history's most powerful secret. For the monks in the Citadel, her return to Turkey may be their only chance at survival. And for a powerful faction in the Vatican, her very existence threatens the success of a desperate plan.

Hunted from Turkey to New York to the deserts of the Middle East, Liv races to uncover a revelation dating from the creation of man in this electrifying follow-up to the international bestseller Sanctus.

"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

If you are a fan of top-notch conspiracy fiction that keeps you up late nights turning pages--if the bestselling novels of Steve Berry, James Rollins, Dan Brown, Raymond Khoury, and Chris Kuzneski make your heart race faster--then remember the name Simon Toyne! Already a smash instant bestseller in the United Kingdom ("Intriguing and engaging...[with a] relentless pace" The Sun) Toyne's Sanctus is, quite simply, one of the most extraordinary conspiracy thriller debuts in many years. In this electrifying, nonstop adventure, a young newspaper reporter, driven by the memory of her lost brother, uncovers a dark secret nurtured for 3,000 years by blood and lies by adherents of an ancient, unknown religion in a Vatican-like citadel hidden away for millennia from unwelcomed prying eyes.

One secret could destroy a family. One lie could save them. The brilliant prequel to The Boy Who Saw, a gripping thriller from Sunday Times bestseller Simon Toyne, featuring the enigmatic Solomon Creed. A stranger Solomon Creed is an outsider with an unknown past, travelling through a remote part of Texas. He doesn't look for trouble - but trouble finds him. A family At a roadside diner, he runs into a worn-down family whose ancestral land and home is about to be auctioned. But when Solomon suspects it's worth a lot more than they think he decides to take things into his own hands. A secret As Solomon races to find hard evidence of the land's true value, he uncovers a dark truth - hidden for generations - that changes everything. But how far is he willing to go to save a family from potential ruin? And how far will others go to stop him?