Luca D’Andrea gives us an intense thriller with an atmospheric South Tyrolean setting that, in some respects, defies genre pigeon holing. It’s part rural noir and part psychological page turner that has many familiar tropes but steers through the clichés with panache. Marlene Wegener is fleeing her callous criminal husband when she falls under the care of Simon Keller, a self-sufficient woodsman, living frugally in an isolated mountain hut. A shadowy criminal network and remorseless assassin are hunting her down. Can she survive? D’Andrea weaves in local folklore and vibrant cultural elements in this superior thriller. Read our full review here.
One of the absolute worst books I’ve read. Ever. I knew about all the negative reviews on other sites (including Amazon) but decided to pick it up nevertheless because…. it was recommended on Crime Fiction Lover. Anyone reading my comment: this book is NOT (despite what the publisher might be saying) some mystery thriller. It’s more of a HORROR book. It is very tedious, heavy on religion, and the amount of insanity (literal) was just too much. Don’t get me started on all the pigs (specifically the Lissy sow) most prominently featured in the book. By the time I finished reading Sanctuary, I started to feel as if I myself had gone insane. Terrible book.