Four pregnant women attend a yoga retreat, hoping to deal with the myriad issues surrounding their pregnancies. Her life so far has been a mess, never settling, always running, though she tells herself it’s fine and that she’s in control. And as she spends more and more time with the other residents, she realises they all have problems, addictions and secrets. Also in the stories of Daniel we see the investigative judgment and the executive judgment portrayed in Belshazzer’s feast. The message comes in blazing letters upon the wall. “You are weighed in the balance and found wanting.” Belshazzer’s life, as well as the kingdom of Babylon had been investigated by God, they were found wanting. And then the executive judgment took place, and Babylon the great, fell. Brilliant! I couldn’t wait for the next ‘stave’ to land (reading with The Pigeonhole online book club you get one tenth of the book every day and can discuss the story with your fellow ‘pigeons’). Great twists at the end – most of us would never have guessed. Fresh and exciting...Khoury makes the conspiracy feel utterly believable and imbues his characters with infectious passion for finding the truth. A surefire hit with fans of conspiracy-based historical thrillers.”—Booklist-

The Sanctuary by Emma Haughton | Waterstones The Sanctuary by Emma Haughton | Waterstones

The plot was good, with some twists and turns; however, the execution, pace and numerous characters left me somewhat confused and struggling to keep up. Really very good! The premise seemed a little too familiar at first but I’m always happy to be proved wrong and pleasantly surprised. A group of people are holed up in a remote location, in this case a rehab centre in a deliberately inaccessible desert location. Our main character doesn’t remember how she got there or why and can’t work out why anyone would sponsor her the huge fees to be there either. The story starts out in Naples 1750.A group led by the prince of San Servero bust in on the marquis demanding he turn over the secret he hides.The Marquis escapes and makes his journey assuming other names and titles along the way. From the decree for the restoration of Jerusalem (after the Babylonian captivity) until Messiah the Prince there will be 69 weeks (483 years)… and after three and a half days (three and a half years) Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself. (Daniel 9:25, 26) Let no one judge you in regards to a man made sabbath thereby robbing you of your inheritance! “Let no one judge you”…according to HUMAN TRADITION according to the elemental spirits of the universe AND NOT ACCORDING TO CHRIST (2:8) He, Christ, disarmed the principalities and powers and …triumphed over them. Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath. Let no one disqualify you insisting on self-abasement (acts of penance) and worship of spirit beings, (praying to saints and venerating Mary) taking their stand on their own senses…On one wall is the symbol of a snake eating it's tail. What does this mean, where did it come from and how does it tie into those events from 1750? She finds herself at The Sanctuary, an alternative to standard rehab and a place where the very wealthy go to try and sort out their lives. She’s been admitted to avoid being charged with a crime but has no idea who has arranged for this and more importantly, who paid the extortionate fees. She does have her demons, and the more time she spends there the more she starts to open up and realise she could benefit from this stay. Until things start to get strange. Very few people have the opportunity to stay at The Sanctuary, even less manage to leave. Eventually Zoey becomes aware that she is in a sort of rehab facility where she is expected to stay for ten weeks. This is a punishment for her behaviour the previous evening when the police were involved. She came to the Sanctuary by helicopter. This is an expensive retreat. She can’t afford this. Zoey is told that a mysterious benefactor paid for her stay and she has to remain for the full ten weeks otherwise she will have to pay her own costs. She has no money. She is trapped. The most compelling aspect of the novel is its theme, urging us to assess not only the benefits, but the consequences and responsibilities of living lives much longer than those afforded us by current actuarial tables. The novel wisely suggests our instinctive desire for materially extended lifespans be contemplated with as much focus on the qualitative as on the quantitative. It may not be so axiomatic whoever breathes longest, breathes best.

Sanctuary - Book Series In Order Sanctuary - Book Series In Order

Also bother gripe I had with the book is that I found a few names were too similar and I got confused many times about which character was being talked about, as they simple all seemed too similar. This book has it all: ancient, mysterious clues mingle with the latest scientific advances in this cinematic thriller. The pace is fast, the dialogue sharp, the characters plausible. Khoury knows what he is doing. How often have I heard it said, “but that is the judgment of the little horn, not the judgment of God’s people.” Yes, this is the judgment of those who claim to be God’s people! For the little horn is none other but the counterfeit, human devised substitutes of Christianity. The judgment will sit and show to the entire universe who it is that walked through the sanctuary with Christ— accepted His atoning sacrifice for their sins, walked with Him in righteousness, submitted to His Holy Spirit, allowing His law to written upon their hearts. Keep My Sabbaths Holy for they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God. Ezekiel 20:20In this twisted story instead of simply messed up people hiding secrets, add in the bonus factor of them all being pregnant and you've got a nice mess simmering.

The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury | Goodreads

I enjoyed Khoury's first novel, "The Last Templar." Khoury's considerable screenwriting talents drove the plot, making the story play like a movie inside my head as I read it. As he has mentioned in numerous interviews, Khoury originally created "The Last Templar" as a screenplay, and the book was accordingly cinematic from beginning to end. The setting is a wonderful rural retreat, where Selina and her husband, Will, are trying to get their business off the ground. Offering rural get-always with yoga, cooking and counselling, the atmosphere is more tense than you might picture. Our hosts are hiding things, and we soon learn that so too are the guests. I gulped that book down in one - so I was thrilled that NetGalley granted me access to Haughton's next book, 'The Sanctuary'. After centuries of destruction, one unsuspecting woman stands at the center of a conspiracy that could change the world forever in this thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Templar. This judgment scene takes place BEFORE the executive judgment. It takes place sometime after the 1260 years in which the horns power flourished. And when the executive judgment is handed out, the horn’s power is seen as again strong.The book of Hebrews makes it plain that we no longer need earthly priests, or daily sacrifices (note the word sacrifice is supplied each and every time in Daniel 8. The word sacrifice IS NOT in the original writings of Daniel 8) for Christ does not die a daily sacrifice, He died once and for all, and in the holy place He was ministering in the DAILY ministrations for His people. People are to confess their sins directly to Christ, who justifies them, not through penance but through His shed blood. The plot - not the most original... but at least it was not quasi-religous....it was all reasonably straightforward with little in the way of twists and turns.

The Sanctuary: A gripping and twisty thriller full of dark

At first, Zoey just wants to leave. Then, she decides to make the most of being there, despite The Sanctuary's unorthodox methods, like using psychedelics. Still, she wonders why a previous resident left in anger. And, when one of the therapists is found dead in the swimming pool, she begins to wonder whether being at The Sanctuary could be dangerous. There was a lot in this book that I enjoyed - especially the dynamics between the various characters, the luxurious-but-sinister setting and the slow unfolding of the mystery. I'll admit that I couldn't see the solution, even as I was nearing the end, so it kept me reading. I also found the pacing of the second half of the novel to be compelling - as the danger increased, so did my interest. An intriguing mystery with a tense setting, The Sanctuary has a brilliant opening scene that instantly fills you with a claustrophobic dread. The mysteries are not highly difficult to figure out if you've read enough of these kinds of books, but all in all it was a good read.Quote from the book : Mia knew it was. It was a specialization sha had flirted with, but she’d ultimatly veerded off into another direction, knowing anti-aging research was the embarrassing relative no one wanted to talk about. Biogerontology - the sciencefiction of aging - had been having a tough time sence, well, the Jurassic era. 🦋🦋🦋🦋 We, too, must always remember, it is God “who is able to make us stand”. Of ourselves we can do nothing. Morgagni - Giovanni Battista Morgagni, an Italian anatomist; the father of modern anatomical pathology They substituted Christ’s once and for all sacrifice, with a daily sacrifice in which the priest claims to have the power to create the Creator and of Christ anew in a bloodless sacrifice. Eventually both the reader, and Zoey, discover that she's at The Sanctuary, a rehab facility, in the middle of a Mexican desert and is expected to stay there for at least ten weeks. Zoey is not rich, she doesn't know anyone who is rich but it seems that a mysterious benefactor has paid for her stay. Zoey cannot leave, if she does, she will be expected to re-pay the costs of getting her to the Sanctuary, by private plane and then helicopter.