The Sanctuary

Naples 1750. In the dead of the night three men with swords burst into the palazzo of a marquis. The intruders' leader the Prince of San Severo accuses the marquis of being an impostor and demands to know a secret that he believes the man harbours. In the fight that ensues the false marquis escapes over the rooftops leaving behind a burning palazzo and a raging prince who is now obsessed with finding his quarry at any cost.

Baghdad 2003. An American army unit hunting down Saddam's inner circle makes a horrifying discovery: a state-of-the-art concealed lab where dozens - men women children - have died after enduring gruesome experiments. The mysterious scientist they were after a man believed to be working on a bioweapons program and known only as the hakeem - the doctor - escapes taking with him the startling truth about his work. A puzzling clue is left behind crudely carved into the wall of one of the underground prison's cells: a circular symbol of a snake feeding on its own tail.

So begins Raymond Khoury's explosive new novel placing two bold women at the centre of the action as they get caught up in a murderous trail of ancient clues.