The Sanctuary

By: Ted Dekker

Narrated by: Henry Leyva, Rebecca Soler

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

The Sanctuary is the gripping story of vigilante priest, Danny Hansen, who is now serving a 50 year prison term in California for the murder of two abusive men. Filled with remorse, Danny is determined to live out his days by a code of non-violence and maneuvers deftly within a ruthless prison system.

But when Renee Gilmore, the woman he loves, receives a box containing a bloody finger and draconian demands from a mysterious enemy on the outside, Danny must find a way to escape.

They are both drawn into a terrifying game of life and death. If Renee fails, the priest will die; if Danny fails, Renee will die. And the body count will not stop at two.

The Sanctuary is Ted Dekker at his best, a powerful thriller that relentlessly plumbs the depths of punishment and rehabilitation, both in a flawed corrections system and in the human heart.

©2012 Ted Dekker (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Sent Shivers up My Spine

Prisons will break a man's spirit. 23 hours a day in a cell with very little positive social contact. The very thought is enough to keep me on the straight and narrow, but in Ted Dekker's twisted mind it is not enough fear. Ted had to add a warden with a God complex and the authority to enforce it. Prisoners at the Sanctuary are not just locked up but are indoctrinated into a system that has one leader and that leader is God to them. Torture, mind control, and life are all just games to the warden. I did not know jail could be any scarier but the Sanctuary is. Here is a torture technique for you sadistic readers out there. Take a drill and drill into the nerves of the shin bone. That is the kind of pain that your whole body feels.

The Sanctuary is a good book for those who want to read a really spooky book. Some of the story is very hard to believe and takes some getting used to. The main female character was always reffered to as a strong women, but I thought she was week and annoying. You will find yourself rooting for the male main character who comes close many times to breaking his vow of non violence. In the end he finds a way to justify violence and non violence. The book is a strong 4.0.

3 people found this helpful

Save your credit - I couldn't get through it.

Would you try another book from Ted Dekker and/or Henry Leyva and Rebecca Soler ?

Not Rebecca Soler - she was awful!

Would you be willing to try another one of Henry Leyva and Rebecca Soler ’s performances?

No

Any additional comments?

I really wanted to like this book; I like alot of Ted Dekker's books. The Sanctuary just isn't one of them. I'm not sure why the whole book had to be G-Rated, after all most of the book took place in prison! The female narrator's voice sounded as if she were barely in high school and her cadence was way off.

2 people found this helpful

First book I could not finish.

Would you try another book from Ted Dekker and/or Henry Leyva and Rebecca Soler ?

I think this would be a great book but I could not accept the reader for Renee. I slog through books when the reader does not capture me but this reader was totally miscast. I can imagine her in other books BUT not this one.

2 people found this helpful

Passes time

Would you consider the audio edition of The Sanctuary to be better than the print version?

No. Henry Leyva did a great job narrating, but I found Rebecca Solers portrayal of Renee grating.

What did you like best about this story?

Danny

Which scene was your favorite?

Honestly, I didn't have one.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The warden made me angry, so I guess the story did cause some emotion.

Any additional comments?

Ted Dekker wrote a great story. And I did find myself going through many emotions. As much as I despised the "mean" characters, I would have liked to have had a backspace key to omit Renee from the book. I found her character to be whiny and irritatingly bratty. If someone had tied her up and put duct tape on her mouth during the whole ordeal I would have been happy.

2 people found this helpful

Shockingly good Sequel

I wasn't even aware that there was a follow up book for The Priest's Graveyard, and I don't think the description says that it is a follow up but I highly recommend if you want to listen to this book to read that one first, a lot of the back story will make so much more sense and it'll give the story a whole new depth. I'm shocked at how great this is for a sequel.

1 person found this helpful

I love it!

I loved this book! Great conclusion or perhaps second installment to this story! I love most everything Ted Dekker writes. This story is about a priest who suffered significant trauma as a child. As an adult he sees many injustices from which the law is unable to protect the innocent. He becomes a vigilante. After a while he concludes he is wrong to take the law into his own hands and turns himself in. He goes to prison. But this is no ordinary prison! Strange things are afoot. Mystery abounds. Will Danny the vigilante priest survive? Will he wife Rene? Will he be able to maintain his vow of non violence?

1 person found this helpful

Gotta love Ted

What made the experience of listening to The Sanctuary the most enjoyable?

I loved listening to this because the issues that this book brings up have been overwhelmingly present in my life. This book was great for me because it gave some very unique answers to some very unique problems. Nothing less than what you would expect from ole Teddy.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Danny. You just cant beat an ass kicking priest.

1 person found this helpful

What does go on behind prison walls?

If you could sum up The Sanctuary in three words, what would they be?

Transcending Spirit Love

What other book might you compare The Sanctuary to and why?

You may have met the hero before quiet and strong. And you may have met the heroine before annoyingly dysfunctional and blind with love. However the combination with transcending mortal failings was new for me.

What does Henry Leyva and Rebecca Soler bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great match of voices to characters

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It would have to be the final prison yard scene, when Danny transcends all the ties that bond him.

1 person found this helpful

amazing rollercoaster that left me satisfied.

I loved it. Wow what a look into the penal system and the minds of the self righteous, the perpetrators and the victims.

A challenge to get through.

Of the many Dekker books I have read, this was easily the hardest one to get through. It felt like it could have been way shorter. Long as it was I know Ted wasn’t able to lead me to the place he wanted me to go. Hopefully in his latest books, which I have yet to read, he will be able to convey his message in a way I can receive it.