Darkly compelling, slow burning and engrossing thriller, set in a dystopian near future, against a backdrop of climate crisis and class disparity.

Those who are rich enough now live in new cities, further highlighting class distinctions. Ben is a talented artist, scraping a living from the wealthy by drawing their portraits.

Ben's fiancée is working on Sanctuary Rock, a secretive, remote and closely guarded island, led by millionaire philanthropist Sir John Pemberley, when he receives a final letter informing him that she wants to stay on the island and will not be returning to him.

Desperate to at least talk to her about the decision, Ben embarks on a dangerous journey to try to find the island which has been removed from the maps, and finds himself also being brought under the spell of Sir John and his vision.

why is every book i seem to read lately not having a stronger plot?
Everything moved along at a snail’s pace, it all fizzles out quite quickly and plot meanders I also did not like the characters!

This book has a great premise. The pace was very slow and built up through the pages. The descriptions of the island were so good. This was an enjoyable slow burn.

Sanctuary Rock presents a compelling narrative set in a near-dystopian future where societal structures are in disarray. The protagonist, Ben, is a young painter living in a crowded and turbulent city. His fiancée, Cara, has been working on the remote island of Sanctuary Rock for millionaire philanthropist Sir John Pemberley and she decides to break off their engagement and stay on the island.

The concept of Sanctuary Rock as a secluded island owned by a mysterious philanthropist adds an air of suspense and curiosity to the narrative. The dichotomy between the crowded, decaying city and the supposedly idyllic island creates a stark contrast that fuels the story's tension.
This novel combines elements of dystopia, environmental change, and class disparity, creating an intriguing backdrop for the characters' journeys. The writing style captures the harshness of the world, drawing readers into the challenges Ben faces as he embarks on a journey to Sanctuary Rock.

There is an addictive nature to the writing of The Sanctuary, particularly its dystopian twist which greatly influenced my immersion in the narrative. This seems to be a new genre experience which managed to captivate me with its unique setting and plot.

However, the novel does seem to struggle to find a clear direction. The commentary on environmental change, wealth disparity, and societal issues introduces various important themes. There is also a lack of depth to the complexity of Ben and Cara's relationship.

In conclusion, Sanctuary Rock is a thought-provoking novel with strengths in its dystopian setting and themes.

Ben is a painter, he has been living with his fiancée Cara for ten years, she has recently been working for millionaire philanthropist John Pemberley at his remote island known as The Sanctuary. When Ben receives a letter from Cara saying she wants to stay on the island and is calling off their engagement Ben decides to travel to the island for answers.

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.

Is Sanctuary Rock a second Eden or a prospect of hell.

This was an addictive read and I loved the dystopian twist, this is a new genre for me and I fully lost myself in this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

A truly captivating concept, brilliantly carried out. I will recommend this book to everyone! Luxury comes with a price tag. Andrew Hunter Murray is a fantastic writer. Thank you for sending.

Based on a religious cult, the story had an interesting premise. A dystopian mystery that although I felt was abit of a slow burn to start with it soon came into its own and had me completely hooked! Some great twists I didn’t see coming.

Ben arrives on the island of Sanctuary Rock in search of his fiancée Cara and is soon enthralled with the way of life that the residents have created there. When he decides to stay it becomes clear that secrets are being kept and he may be in danger.

The Sanctuary has an original concept that made for a completely captivating read.

I thought that this book was incredibly well-written, especially the dialogue between the characters. I loved how you could get a real sense of each character's personality through the conversations that they had.

I found the island setting so mysterious and unsettling. The twists and turns made the plot feel unpredictable and I couldn't wait to see what would happen.

A highly enjoyable book like no other I've read before.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Dystopian tale. When his girlfriend, Cara writes telling him she’s not returning from her job, Ben goes off in search to find her. I couldn’t get past the confusing start or the stilted style of writing so it was hard going. Plus it was dull, the plot (done before) was and so was Ben. Everything moved along at a snail’s pace. A very slow burner which quickly fizzled out. I did like the cover and blurb which is why I chose to read it. Others will love the book but on this occasion it wasn’t for me despite my love of novels set in the future.

A very readable thrilled by a clearly very talented, imaginative man, but slightly let down by a lead character who isn't quite believable. It's not that the story - a near-future in which the world is doomed and a charismatic billionaire offers a new Eden - is far fetched. Alas it's a bit too believable these days. It's more that the lead character seems to change his mind so often, that he ends up coming across a bit two dimensional. That said, it's a good read and while I felt I saw the 'twist' coming some way off, it didn't stop me wanting to finish it in, if not one sitting, then not many of them!

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. It was a dystopian mystery rather than my normal domestic thriller. I didn't see the ending coming and I would be interested to see more of Bianca.

At an unspecified point in the not too distant future, Ben is waiting for the return of his fiancée, Cara, who has been working away from home for some months. Just as she is due to arrive back, however, Ben receives a letter from her telling him she's not coming. She has decided to stay on the island where she has been working for a wealthy and mysterious billionaire called Pemberley. Ben can't accept that his relationship is over so decides to make his way to the island, known as the Sanctuary, and speak to Cara face to face. But he soon finds that the community on the island is a secretive one, and they don’t welcome self-invited visitors...

Murray does a very good job of creating his setting. Although it seems the book is set in the future, it's a future that is already very recognisable. Climate change has progressed, though not yet to the worst predictions, and extinctions are becoming more and more commonplace. Although it would appear that the society is well on the way to becoming fully dystopian, it hasn't yet. However, the divide between rich and poor has increased, again quite recognisably, with the ordinary people living in cramped conditions in the overcrowded cities, while the wealthy live in luxury in closed villages outside. Pemberley, Cara's employer, is the creator and owner of most of these villages, and while it's not totally clear, it seems this may be where his wealth comes from. The place is also not specified, but feels very like Britain, with Ben living in what seems like it's probably London, and the Sanctuary being set in the north, probably off the coast of Scotland. So there's a real feeling of familiarity about both time and place, but the differences are enough to produce a sensation of unease caused by the feeling that we’re heading there fast.

Unfortunately the plot doesn't really live up to the excellence of the setting. Pemberley is a cross between cult leader and the kind of billionaire that we are increasingly seeing in real life who use their ridiculous wealth to carry out extraordinary experiments, with no real democratic or governmental control over them. In Pemberley’s case, he has decided that if humanity is about to bring about its own extinction, he will use the Sanctuary as a kind of Noah's Ark, but one where he is the supreme and sole ruler and where the normal rules of morality and ethics don't necessarily apply. Both mad science and cultish leaders have been done many times in dystopian fiction, and I'm afraid Murray doesn't really bring anything original to it.

As with his previous book, The Last Day, I feel that Murray has come up with a good premise but hasn’t really developed a strong enough plot to go with it. Looking back at my review of that earlier book, I see that all my praise and criticisms are the same. His writing is of a very high standard and his characters are interesting, which were the main reasons that I continued through to the end. But I kept waiting for twists that didn't come and thrills that didn't happen, and in the end I’m afraid I felt that the ultimate reveal wasn't explosive enough to have justified the very lengthy lead up. I still think he has the potential to be an excellent SF/thriller writer if he learns to cut back a little on the description and scene-setting and boost the action element, so I’ll still be interested enough to look out for his next book. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.

This was a brilliant story. It was very well written, portraying a dark and deranged world. I simply couldn't put it down. Very highly recommended xx

Beautifully written in a cosy beautiful setting. I instantly warmed to the main character and felt there was good character development. The setting drew you in and wrapped you up.

This is an interesting, slow-burn novel about a bleak dystopian world. Things have gone to hell in a handbasket and the privileged few live in Villages, waited on by lesser folk who struggle. The Villages have been created by a billionaire whose newest project is an island sanctuary. The main character Ben is a portrait painter whose girlfriend Cara is working on the island. When she informs him she is staying there, he sets out to find her. The first part of the book is rather slow-going but things pick up and the creep factor intensifies when Ben arrives on the mysterious island and tries to uncover what is going on.

I thought this was gripping, intriguing and full of drama. This was my first book by this author and I will definitely be looking for more

A fantastic book by a fantastic author. There us nothing negative I can say about this one. This has been a gem from beginning to end.

Thank you to both Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this title. Talk about an unexpected book!

A remote island, a privileged man with a mysterious past and a search for a loved one.
Ben leaves the safe land to go find Cara, his fiancé and challenger her to return home and meet the man she has been working for. But instead, he finds a community led by Jonh, someone with so much charisma who he is meant to hate, though he ends up liking him, trust him and not wanting to leave until Bianca (john's daughter) resume his doubts that all is not it seems.

Intrigued by the storyline, however not sure whether I truly enjoyed this book.

This is the thriller to end all thrillers. The light at the end of the tunnel. The darkness that keeps on going. The book you will take with you to the grave