The Sanctuary: the gripping must-read thriller by the Sunday Times bestselling author

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No shade, but this was better than I expected! I read it on a whim because it was mentioned on No Such Thing as a Fish, and really, I thought it was good! As is my wont, this is another hairdresser read. I need something to lose myself in, once the small talk has finished. Hunter-Murray is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. His writing style is articulate and educated, whilst remaining easy to read (and easy to lose yourself in). All told, a well written and pleasant read that takes its time to gently take you to where it is going.

The Sanctuary has made a big splash in the reading world, and it’s clear to see why. As an imaginative dystopian thriller, Andrew Hunter Murray’s book has an incredibly enthralling premise and a good few mysteries that should keep a reader invested throughout their time with the story. Quite honestly a brilliant book which, like all the best dystopian fiction, makes us question our own world by showing us another world that is going slightly awry in ways not dissimilar to our own. Very many shades of H.G. Wells’s The Island of Doctor Moreau and the classic movie Logan’s Run.I felt there was very little mystery, really, but this is slightly spoilery, I suppose, so don't read on if you don't want any spoilers! Cards are played close to the chest and little is given away. We sense a growing need for Ben to act, but he does not seem immune to the spell of the great man. Our questions are, eventually, answered and we sense just how close Ben comes to a very different story. This book took a totally different turn to what I was expecting! Really enjoyable, stayed up late to finish it as the story was so tense towards the end.' Read more Details Andrew Hunter Murray is a writer from London. His first novel, The Last Day, is a high-concept thriller set in a world whose rotation has slowed to a halt. The Last Day will be published in the UK and USA in February 2020 by Penguin Random House.

It’s a decent enough plot but the delivery was poor, it’s some kind of dystopian future however nothing is explained - there’s just vague references throughout to the planet declining and animal extinction. This aspect of the book would have been more enjoyable if there was a proper explanation of what had happened and what is going on. The narrator, Benjamin Parr, is an artist living in “the city” (unnamed but I assumed London because of the length of journey he has to make to get to the island where The Sanctuary is set). His fiancée, Cara, goes off on an assignment to work for a mysterious wealthy man who has set up a community on an island, John Pemberley. She does not return, and Benjamin follows his heart (pun intended) and makes his way up there to find out what is going on.Our main character is Ben, a painter, whose fiancée has been working for millionaire philanthropist John Pemberley at his remote island, known as The Sanctuary. Increasingly concerned at the hold this place seems to have on Cara, Ben takes himself on a journey fraught with danger to make his way to the island. Andrew also writes jokes and journalism for Private Eye magazine, and hosts t Andrew Hunter Murray is a writer from London. His first novel, The Last Day, is a high-concept thriller set in a world whose rotation has slowed to a halt. The Last Day will be published in the UK and USA in February 2020 by Penguin Random House.

Ben is looking forward to meeting up with Cara, but she writes to say that she intends to stay on the island, he sets out to find her. We then follow his journey across a blighted land, as the book touches on environmental change, wealth being in the hands of the few, while the many work to service the needs of those in the villages. Ben’s desire to reunite with Cara is harder to understand as their relationship doesn’t seem particularly close or warm. Then, as the novel progresses and secrets are revealed, it was difficult to really know where the author wanted the plot to go. The Sanctuary is a dark tale, warning of man’s desire to play god and exploring the impact our actions can have on those around us. Overall, this was a book that held our attention and we did enjoy it. But, compared to other dystopian works we’ve reviewed such as Hanna Jameson’s The Last, it just didn’t strike the same sort of punch enough for us to say we ‘ loved’ this book. The journey to the island is a harsh and challenging one and when he does arrive, Ben discovers that the community on the island is a secretive one and they do not welcome uninvited visitors. The most divisive part of The Sanctuary we can imagine other readers having is Hunter Murray’s style of writing. He certainly carries a distinctive style, but it’s one that some may find a little eccentric when compared to other authors.

Andrew Hunter Murray has a very cool, detached, almost period writing style - combined with the dismal setting (it's never really explained how we get from where we are now to this miserable future) made the first act difficult to engage with - but the whole feel of the book changes with the second act when the action moves to a private island - the sanctuary of the book's title. This is an apparently utopian society, constructed by the billionaire behind the Villages. Ben manages to get to the island (half-killing himself in the process) to see his fiancée who works there - he expects to hate the place, but initially he finds it beguiling.