The Searcher: A Novel (Solomon Creed)

The author of the acclaimed Sanctus trilogy conjures an eerie epic of good and evil, retribution and redemption—the first novel in the mesmerizing Solomon Creed series in which a man with no memory of his past must save a lost soul in a small Arizona town.On a hilltop in the town of Redemption, Arizona, the townspeople gather at an old cemetery for the first time in decades to bury a local man. The somber occasion is suddenly disrupted by a thunderous explosion in the distant desert. A plane has crashed, and it’s pouring a pillar of black smoke into the air.As Sheriff Garth Morgan speeds toward the crash, he nearly hits a tall, pale man running down the road, with no shoes on his feet and no memory of who he is or how he got there. The only clues to his identity are a label in his handmade suit jacket and a book that’s been inscribed to him: both giving the name Solomon Creed. When Morgan tells Solomon that he is in Redemption, Arizona, Solomon begins to believe he’s here for a reason—to save a man he has never met . . . the man who was buried that morning.Miles away, three men scan the skies for an overdue plane carrying an important package. Spotting a black cloud in the distance, they suspect something has gone badly wrong, and that the man who has sent them will demand a heavy price if the package has been lost.To uncover the secret of his identity, Solomon Creed must uncover Redemption’s secrets too and learn the truth behind the death of the man he is there to save. But there are those who will do anything to stop him, men prepared to call on the darkest forces to prevent Solomon from seeing the light.

Greg Iles, author of Natchez Burning and The Bone Tree

“Top-shelf writers aren’t made--they’re born, and you can tell in two pages when you’ve found one. Simon Toyne has got the gift, and THE SEARCHER proves it-his imagery, his language, and the cool mystery surrounding Solomon Creed and where he’s going. I think you’ll love this one.”

Steve Berry

“Not a dull page to be found anywhere. A thriller gem. Simon Toyne is a first class talent, speeding in the fast lane to the top of the genre.”

The Missourian

“The Searcher,” Toyne begins a new series with a page-turning thriller… Thriller fans should enjoy this vibrant and exciting story.”

Library Journal (starred review)

“one more page, one more chapter” urgency, much like his previous trilogy.”

Sullivan County Democrat

“A combination of Lee Child-the Jack Reacher books-and Stephen King! How likely does that sound? But in fact the comparisons are apt… Vividly evoked action and electrically alive emotion. And a satisfying climax after breathstopping suspense. Look, just get started on this series. You’ll be glad you did.”

Peter James

“Compelling, vivid and profound, I loved it. It stays with you long after you’ve finished the final page.”

Scott Mariani

“Intrigue, mystery, atmosphere . . . it will draw you in and hold you there. Solomon Creed is a thriller with smarts and class.”

Mark Billingham

“Who is Solomon Creed? He’s the hero of a fabulous new series of thrillers. Simple as that.”

Brad Meltzer

“When you read Sanctus, you’ll see just how frightening, ruthless and relentlessly entertaining an order of monks can be. Haunting in the best way.”

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“[Sanctus] might turn out to be the next great cliffhanger conspiracy thriller.”

Daily Mirror (UK) on Sanctus

“Hard to think of it as a debut, better to think of it as the beginning of a massive new adventure, and a so-long to Dan Brown. . . .”

Booklist (starred review) on The Key

“If you like your secrets deeply hidden and your action breakneck, then Toyne’s sophomore thriller is just the ticket. . . . As in his debut, Toyne delivers a gripping, intricate story of religious and political intrigue that?s sweeping yet somehow intimate and very personal. Wow.”

Kirkus Reviews on The Key

“Toyne cranks up the drama with the second entry in a conspiracy thriller series. . . . Well-written, fast-paced and delivered with an admirable economy of words, this book offers an edge-of-the-seat story filled with action and adventure.”

Publishers Weekly on The Tower

“Toyne’s descriptive skill makes for a story that is cinematically vivid. . . . The relentless pace makes the action addicting.”

Examiner.com on The Tower

“The Tower is the best of the three novels, no mean feat considering that the first two, Sanctus and The Key, were also exciting and thoughtful. . . . Do not fail to read this unique and extraordinarily inventive novel.”

Examiner.com

“Fascinating, brilliantly conceived and executed, and filled with the kind of profound symbolism and thematic gravitas that separate Toyne’s work from others of the genre. . . . Will keep you involved from beginning to end. . . . A fine piece of literature.”

New York Times Book Review

“How do you create suspense?... That’s the defining strategy of THE SEARCHER, as Simon Toyne holds information tantalizingly out of reach over the course of his wild, mysterious novel… I read it in a two-day fever.”

Bookreporter.com

“Both marvelous and unsettling, full of myth and grounded in the real world, a bloody noir and a contemporary western, a mystery and a thriller… Solomon Creed is entirely original, even as he reminds you of everyone from Lee Child’s Jack Reacher [to] Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon.”

Providence Journal

“The Searcher” lives up every bit to its terrific premise, a tale as wondrously conceived as it is brilliantly realized.”

From the Back Cover

Top-shelf writers aren’t made—they’re born, and you can tell in two pages when you’ve found one. Simon Toyne has got the gift.” GREG ILESHOW DO YOU SAVE A MAN WHO’S ALREADY DEAD . . . ?In Redemption, Arizona, people gather to bury a man who died in a tragic accident, but the occasion is disrupted by a thunderous plane crash.Sheriff Garth Morgan speeds toward the accident, nearly hitting a man running down the road with no shoes and no memory. The only clue to his identity is his name: Solomon Creed. Solomon knows only that he’s here to save a man he has never met . . . a man who was buried that very morning.Miles away, three men scan the skies for a plane carrying an important package. They suspect something is wrong, and that the man who has sent them will demand a heavy price if the package has been lost.To uncover his real identity, Solomon must expose the truth behind the death of the man he is there to save. But there are men who are prepared to call on the darkest forces to prevent Solomon from succeeding.

About the Author

Simon Toyne is the author of the internationally bestselling Sanctus trilogy (Sanctus, The Key, and The Tower), The Searcher, The Boy Who Saw, Dark Objects and The Clearing and has worked in British television for more than twenty years. As a writer, director, and producer he’s made several award-winning shows, one of which won a BAFTA. He lives in England with his wife and family, where he is permanently at work on his next novel.

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