Simon Toyne Books In Order

Publication Order of Laughton Rees Books

Publication Order of Sancti Trilogy Books

Publication Order of Solomon Creed Books

Simon Toyne is a best selling British author, well known for writing the Sanctus series (Sanctus – 2011, The Key – 2012 and The Tower – 2013). This series became a best seller in the thriller, crime and conspiracy genre, selling in many countries around the world and translated in over 20 languages worldwide.
Although Simon Toyne has always had a yearning for storytelling from an early age, he embarked on many different creative endeavors in television producing, directing and screen writing before he became a novelist. Sanctus, the first installment in his series, was his debut novel.

Early Life of Simon Toyne
Simon Toyne was born in the small coastal village of Cleethorpes, North Lincolnshire, United Kingdom in 1968. Toyne developed an interest in the thriller genre, dating back to his childhood, citing Alistair MacLean as an early inspiration. Toyne first read from this author when he turned to a page of a novel that his father was reading. From an early age, Toyne had a passion for storytelling. His first choice of creative outlet to channel this desire was his ambition to become an actor. He embarked on a course of study at Goldsmith’s College in London, majoring in English and Drama. At this point in his life, Toyne realised that acting wasn’t his forte and opted to pursue his talents in screen writing and directing. His ultimate goal was to write and direct his own film.

Screenwriting and Directing Career
Like many aspiring writers and directors, Simon Toyne pursued his dreams, one step at a time. He worked as an assistant in an editing facility and worked his way up, behind the production scenes. In the very beginning, his job involved making tea and coffee for production crew, but he had access to contacts in the industry that could further his career. In his spare time, Toyne wrote, directed and produced his own short films. By the age of 25, Simon Toyne was recognized for his talents and had become a television producer and scriptwriter. He would continue working in the television industry for the next 15 years. By this time, Toyne had a wife and two children to support, but he still had a dream to tell a much greater story.

The birth of Simon Toyne’s debut novel
Simon Toyne took some time away from his television work to make a trip to France in 2007, where he would begin writing his first novel. One of the highlights of his journey was a large cathedral building that he saw, while sightseeing. This would become an inspiration for the imaginary backdrop that would be central to Toyne’s fictional universe. By the time his funds became low, Toyne had only written a portion of his new novel, so he returned to his day job in television while working on his novel in his spare time. By 2011, Simon Toyne’s debut novel Sanctus was published, becoming a best selling thriller worldwide.

Sanctus (2011)
Sanctus is the the first installment in Simon Toyne’s series of thrillers. The story begins with the mysterious suicide of a man who jumps from the top of the Citadel, an ancient religious monument located in Ruin, Turkey. This dramatic event receives press coverage world wide, much to the chagrin of the priests of the Citadel, who are the guardians of the centuries old religious secrets that are contained within. The dead body belongs to a man who had been inducted into the walls of the Citadel and had learnt of its powerful secrets. The terrifying truth that he had discovered in the Sacrament, an ancient holy artifact, had propelled him to own death.
Investigative journalist Liv Adamsen is one of the main protagonists of this novel, arriving in Turkey upon learning the news of her brother’s suicide. While grieving over his death, Liv Adamsen becomes drawn into a mystery centuries old and unbeknownst to her, she faces great danger from the fanatical priests of the Citadel, who will stop at nothing to prevent their secrets from coming to light. Kathryn Mann is another key character in Simon Toyne’s conspiracy thriller. As head of a charity, Kathryn realizes that the dramatic turn of events could be part of an ancient prophecy, which had predicted the much talked about suicide. Both characters face mortal peril as the mysteries surrounding the Citadel unfold.
Simon Toyne’s debut novel is a combination of action, religious mystery, conspiracy thriller and cat-and-mouse type adventure. The action takes place across many corners of the globe: from the United States to Turkey.

The Key (2012)
The Key is Simon Toyne’s follow up sequel to his successful debut novel Sanctus. Following the dramatic conclusion of the first installment of this series, The Key follows the adventures of the series’ protagonist Liv Adamsen. Having escaped from the Citadel, Liv remains in a confused, amnesiac state and despite being unable to recall her own past, she becomes haunted by faint whispers deep within her mind that suggest that she is “the key”.
Liv is still in danger from pursuers, since she may be the key to unlocking ancient secrets that have been long since buried away. The inhabitants of the Citadel, the backdrop of the first instalment of this series, are being killed by a mysterious plague. Liv’s pursuers remain determined to capture her, in hopes that she will be the key to unlocking the mystery. Factions from within the Catholic church are also hunting for Liv, a woman whose existence poses a threat to the Vatican’s own secret agenda. They are determined to capture her and return her to the Citadel. Feeling the threat of pursuit and danger ahead of her, Liv joins forces with a foundation worker named Gabriel Mann and together, they embark on a dangerous adventure to evade capture and threats of death. The adventurous chase propels the narrative of the story through many locations around the globe: New York, Rome and to the Middle Eastern deserts.
In Simon Toyne’s second installment, the stakes become higher. Liv is involved in a dangerous chase around the world not only for her own survival, but for the survival of humanity. The Tower (2013) is a follow up to this novel and the final installment in the trilogy.

2 Responses to “Simon Toyne”

1. june allison fraser: 2 years ago

   love this series

   Reply
2. Fran Bradley: 3 years ago

   Waited patiently for more books…. Love Solomon Creed….. do we have to wait much longer….?😊

   Reply