The Sanctuary

by Emma Haughton

Very few people get the opportunity to stay here.
And some don't get to leave ...

Zoey doesn't remember anything about last night. But she knows something went badly wrong. For she is no longer in New York. She's woken up in the desert, in a white building she doesn't recognise, and she's alone.

When she discovers she's been admitted to The Sanctuary, a discreet, mysterious, isolated refuge from normal life, to avoid jail, she is stunned. She knows she has secrets, troubles, but she thought she had everything under control. But as she spends more time with other residents, she begins to open up about what she's running from. Until she realises that not everyone in The Sanctuary has her best interests at heart, and someone might even be a killer . . .

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Ebooks

384 pages, Hardcover

First published November 24, 2022

About the author

The Dark, Emma Haughton’s chilling new thriller for adults, will be published by Hodder in August 2021.

Emma grew up in Sussex; after a stint au pairing in Paris and a couple of half-hearted attempts to backpack across Europe, she studied English at Oxford University then trained in journalism. During her career as a journalist, she wrote many articles for national newspapers, including regular pieces for the Times Travel section.

Following publication of her picture book, Rainy Day, Emma wrote three YA novels. Her first, Now You See Me, was an Amazon bestseller and nominated for the Carnegie and Amazing Book Awards. Better Left Buried, her second, was one of the best YA reads for 2015 in the Sunday Express. Her third YA novel, Cruel Heart Broken, was picked by The Bookseller as a top YA read for July 2016.


Find out more at www.emmahaughton.com or www.facebook.com/emmahaughtonwriter. Or get in touch via Twitter: @Emma_Haughton

Reviews

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit on the disappointing side, really, as the story is too long for the events it describes and also quite predictable.

The characters were exactly likeable, especially main character Zoey.

It’s not a hard story to read, but it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea.

[Kristine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 2.5 stars?

I didn’t really enjoy the book that much, as I found it all over the place and quite unbelievable.

I was however curious to see what happens and what’s the resolution, but it sort of seemed odd too.

Also bother gripe I had with the book is that I found a few names were too similar and I got confused many times about which character was being talked about, as they simple all seemed too similar.

Glad I finished the book, but it was nothing spectacular..

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma wakes in in a treatment centre and has no memory of how she got there. The staff are able to give her some answers and slowly she starts to remember snippets from some of the previous night.
She is not happy at The Sanctuary but begins to follow the treatment regime and settles down and interacts with the staff and the other clients.
When strange things start to happen she feels that not everyone is telling the truth about what’s really going on.
I found this story slow at the beginning but once things started to happen I enjoyed it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Silvie Klokgieter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zoey herinnert zich niets meer van gisteravond. Maar ze weet wel dat er iets heel vreemds is gebeurd. Want ze is niet meer in New York. Ze wordt wakker in de woestijn, in een wit gebouw dat ze niet herkent, en ze is alleen. Als ze ontdekt dat ze is opgenomen in The Sanctuary, een discreet, mysterieus, geïsoleerd toevluchtsoord ver weg van het normale leven is ze verbijsterd. Ze weet dat ze geheimen heeft, en problemen, maar ze dacht dat ze alles onder controle had.

Naarmate ze meer tijd doorbrengt met andere bewoners, begint ze eerlijker te worden over waarvoor ze op de vlucht is. Tot ze zich realiseert dat niet iedereen in The Sanctuary het beste met haar voor heeft en dat iemand misschien wel een moordenaar is.

Yes! Daar viel het nieuwe boek van Emma Haughton op de mat! Een boek waar ik heel erg naar uitkeek, want de flaptekst sprak mij enorm aan.

'De retraite' begint goed. Zoey wordt wakker op een vreemde locatie en weet niets meer van de voorgaande avond. Al gauw wordt duidelijk dat ze is opgenomen in een toevluchtsoord. Je leert de verschillende bewoners wat beter kennen en ook voel je dat er iets niet klopt. Maar... waar blijft de spanning?

Toen ik halverwege het verhaal was, was er nog steeds bijna niets gebeurd en ik vroeg mij af of de spanning nog zou komen... Die kwam uiteindelijk, maar toen had ik het boek bijna uit. Heel erg jammer, want de flaptekst leek zo veelbelovend.

De schrijfstijl van Emma is prettig en het verhaal zelf was ook interessant. Echter had er zoveel meer uitgehaald kunnen worden, denk ik. Ik vond het heel erg jammer dat die spanning pas zo laat kwam.

Als je van een langzaam en toch wat mysterieus verhaal houdt, is dit zeker een aanrader. Voor mij persoonlijk was het toch net iets te sloom opgebouwd.

Ik wil @lsamsterdam heel erg bedanken voor dit recensie-exemplaar!

Beoordeling: 3,0 ⭐️

[Mags Schofield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feeling very ambivalent about this story as it was similar to The Dark in formula. Place of isolation. Lots of characters thrown together with a killer in their midst. Weak female character who metamorphosises into Superwoman. Ending with boy and girl who initially hate each other, but walk off hand in hand.
Nothing new here at all I'm afraid.
Thanks to the author and Pigeonhole.

[Katrin · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF ... bei Seite 254/383.

Es ist leider sterbenslangweilig.

[Chantal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

[UnproductiveMother89 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a mixed one for me. I enjoyed the setting to the story a luxury treatment facility in the middle of the desert and so felt like an upgraded locked room mystery. However bits that just didn't work for me the main charecter just seemed really nosey and didn't come across to likeable and a lot of the plot was easy to guess.
Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sanctuary has one of the most compelling opening chapters that I've read in a long time, it's perfectly pitched and just makes the reader want more. And you get more, lots more. It's a locked-room mystery with a difference, with characters who are often difficult to empathise with and a plot that snakes around and comes back and bites you!

The reader is introduced to lead character Zoey as she wakes with a splitting headache, wondering just what happened during her night out the previous evening with her two best friends. Gradually, she realises that she's very hot, and it's awfully quiet. Zoey is currently house sitting for her uncle Dan, in New York and it's usually noisy; cars, people, shops, the buzz of the city. This morning is silent, and blistering hot ..... and then Zoey realises that she's not in her uncle's apartment at all. She has no idea where she is, or how she got there.

Eventually both the reader, and Zoey, discover that she's at The Sanctuary, a rehab facility, in the middle of a Mexican desert and is expected to stay there for at least ten weeks. Zoey is not rich, she doesn't know anyone who is rich but it seems that a mysterious benefactor has paid for her stay. Zoey cannot leave, if she does, she will be expected to re-pay the costs of getting her to the Sanctuary, by private plane and then helicopter.

Nothing makes sense to Zoey. She doesn't believe that she needs rehab, she admits that her life is a bit dead-end, constant moving about and low-paid, unskilled jobs, a lot of alcohol, the odd bit of hash, but nothing she cannot handle ... she believes.

As Zoey meets the other patients at The Sanctuary she realises that she's the odd one out. These are rich people, people who've done many stints in rehab. People with serious issues, yet the therapists indicate that Zoey has things to hide too, if only she could remember.

There's a sense of dread within this story, it's clear that The Sanctuary is not all that it claims to be. Zoey cannot help herself but try to find out more about a recent patient who left suddenly, and then people begin to die .... and this is where it all gets a little bit crazy.

Emma Haughton has created a cast of characters who are often perplexing, sometimes very shallow, but all with hidden secrets. Her desert setting is wonderfully created, with the constant heat and the miles and miles of red, arid landscape adding such an atmosphere to what is a cracking story.

The Sanctuary kept me entertained, I never quite knew what to expect, although I had my suspicions about most of the cast at some point. Intriguing and tense. Recommended by me.

[Janaya Kabamba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! This didn't half start with a bang and got me completely engaged which I loved. It did slow up a bit and became more character driven for a while but once things start happening again, I was dying to find out what was going on. It is fiction so we can overlook things which seem a wee bit too neat and I don't think they took anything away from how much I loved the plot. The characters could have bn a bit more well written and distinctive since I did the find the men a bit forgettable but hey, I do that in real life aswell so maybe it was just me

[Podenca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it me ........ or is the the books I am listening to lately which do not seem to fully hold my attention? (incl, Audiobook Review)
My guilty pleasure is falling asleep reading or listening to a fabulous whodunnit or psychological thriller - the better written and more gripping the faster I fall asleep, I imagine as I am so absorbed and transported, I forget about the stress of the day and finally relax.

Anyway, with an excellent book, it can take mere minutes and then in the morning I zoom back to the last words I remember hearing, while semi conscious, and resume for a morning chapter or so. If the book is really amazing then I look forward to listening to it all day and if it is exceptional, I take it with me and listen during the day.

Recently I have had about four in a row books which I listen to for ages, fall asleep - wake up and cannot be bothered to go back over all those chapters I missed and just carry on as I could not be bothered really. I do not return the books as nothing really wrong with them, well narrated, well written, no glaring plot holes but just something about them that does not make me go "wow".

The Santuary, my first Emma Haughton thriller is such a book.
I was intrigued by the premise, narration was fine. though the Spanish pronunciation was a bit off and as there was not that much it would have been nice if there had been more of an effort made with the excellent and easy to find online pronunciation sites.

The writing was excellent and compelling in places and the plot seemed to jog along nicely as I dipped in and out.
I think my main let down was the characters of which I did not care for a one!
Nor did I care what happened to them.

I found the protagonist particularly unlikeable, though intelligent and resourceful, she was just not my cup of tea.
Perhaps due to my disrespectful nocturnal dipping in and out, I found the rest of the characters to be quite bland with the exception of Antonio who seemed like fun. So as the body count rose, I found myself profoundly sanguine about the whole thing.

As the book came to a climax and the plot was revealed it did begin to grip me though to be fair I felt like I had not missed much, nor was tempted to go back and read it fully. Although I have given the book a solid 4 as it was well written and plotted, had an exotic location and was general well read and helped me relax it did not thrill or grip me really.

Maybe just me and I will definitely try the next Emma Haughton thriller but I long for a big meal of an audiobook like ............ an Anthony Horrowitz Magpie Murders or The Word is Murder, one in the Robert Galbreith Strike series, - the fabulous Hot Water by Cristopher Fowler, Heat Wave by Kate Riorden, The Harbinda Kaur Series by Ellie Griffiths, a well narrated Ruth Ware, The You series by Caroline Kepnes, the recent thrillers by Lisa Jewell, any of the amazing new thrillers by Louise Candlish like The Other Passenger/Sudden Departure of the Frasers/Those People, Tammy Cohen's recent work, The French Girl/How to Kill your Best friend by Lexie Elliot, The Other Couple/Tattletale/The Festival by Sarah J Naughton, Shiver by Allie Reynolds, Breathless by Amy McCulloch, Dirty Little Secrets By Jo Spain, The Cove by Alice Clark Platts, Cara Hunter's excellent series, Jane Casey's Kat Kinsella Series, Liane Moriarty's Apples Never Fall and many other, Rebound?Exposure by Aga Lesiewicz, Something in the Water, The Family Game and The Disappearing Act by Caroline Steadman, Confidence and Conviction and Her Perfect Life by Sam Hepburn .......... these are all thrillers I was truly excited and involved 100% and of course there are many more who have a big place in my heart and who I would re-read chapters of rather than skip or skim.

So to sum up, I enjoyed it, it was well crafted, intelligently and well written, but whether it is me just finding so many audiobooks a bit "meh" these days or just a good book not being quite my thing, this did not blow me away
... but I will be back for the next for sure

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of my reviews can be found at https://damppebbles.com/

I read Emma Haughton's debut thriller, The Dark, last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. What's really interesting about The Dark is that it's very much a locked room thriller but the setting is a UN research station in Antartica. The way the author makes the reader feel claustrophobic in such a vast and open setting was done incredibly well. Which is why I jumped at the chance to read Haughton's second thriller, The Sanctuary. Once again the setting really grabbed my attention. This time it's a luxurious, isolated retreat in the heart of the Mexican desert. I was keen to see if the author would be able to evoke the same feelings of claustrophobia and of all hope being lost a second time. And oh boy, Haughton absolutely did!

Zoey wakes up alone, in a strange room and with the worst hangover she's ever experienced. She's dazed and confused, and her memories of the night before are hazy at best. It soon becomes clear that Zoey is in a bit of a fix. She's been admitted to The Sanctuary, an isolated retreat for the rich and famous that likes to dabble in unorthodox treatments. And they're making it impossible for her to leave. Zoey doesn't understand how she has ended up in the middle of the Mexican desert, miles from home and anything resembling civilisation. The people she's stuck with all have addictions - which she doesn't - and they're incredibly wealthy - which she isn't. Which raises the question, who is Zoey's mysterious benefactor? Who are the people she's stranded in the middle of the desert with? And what is really going on at The Sanctuary...?

The Sanctuary is a well-written slow burn mystery which builds over the course of the book to a gripping, thrilling conclusion. The author has once again used a setting that is, in theory, vast but manages to make it feel very claustrophobic. There is no chance of escape from The Sanctuary. If dehydration or heat stroke doesn't kill you, the wildlife probably will! I loved how well the author conveys Zoey's rising hopelessness as her situation slowly dawned on her.

Many of the characters in the book are unlikeable and tend to frustrate and annoy each other, which adds to the overall tension at the retreat. They're also incredibly shallow and prepared to do whatever it takes to keep a tight hold on their secrets. That's the case for both the retreat's affluent guests but the small body of staff present too. Zoey is the only somewhat likeable character in the bunch, but I don't think she'll appeal to everyone. She really does need to take a long hard look at her life as she comes across as quite juvenile a lot of the time, but I kind of liked her. The other characters all play their parts very well and help to move the storyline along. I was able to predict whodunit from fairly early on but that didn't spoil my overall enjoyment of the book at all.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Sanctuary is a tense, slow burn psychological mystery with interesting characters and a thrilling conclusion. I found the book entertaining from start to finish and I'm excited to read more thrillers from this author in the future. I LOVED the setting. The author paints a very vivid picture of the inhospitable desert in her reader's minds which I thoroughly enjoyed. The setting was as much a character in the story as Zoey, the other guests and the staff. There's a lot of well-penned intrigue throughout the story. You can't help but wonder what secrets these privileged people are hiding and what's really going on at The Sanctuary. I enjoyed the slow build of the story and the escalating tension as I approached the end of the book. And the denouement was very well done. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed The Sanctuary and look forward to reading more from the author in the future. Recommended.

[alex_buchgeplauder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es plätschert so dahin
.
Mit ihrem Antarktis-Thriller THE DARK konnte Emma Haughton bei mir satte fünf Sterne einheimsen. Klar, dass ich danach ganz wild darauf war, mehr von ihr zu lesen. Bei Erscheinen habe ich mich deshalb sofort auf TÖDLICHE OASE gestürzt.
.
Darum geht’s: Zoey erwacht in einem Haus mitten im Nirgendwo. Sie kann sich nicht an die letzte Nacht erinnern. Ihre Unterkunft stellt sich als Retreat heraus - ein nobles Rehazentrum für Suchtkranke in der Wüste. Zoey weiß nicht, warum sie dort ist und auch nicht, wer dafür bezahlt. Aber jeden Tag erinnert sie sich ein Stückchen mehr…
.
Von der Antarktis geht es diesmal also in die Wüste. Trotzdem ist es nicht das volle Kontrastprogramm. Das Setting mit seiner Abgeschiedenheit und die damit verbundene Atmosphäre sind sich schon sehr ähnlich. Das scheint definitiv das Ding von Emma Haughton zu sein. Mit den aus dem Vorgänger bereits bekannten Stilmitteln konnte mich die Autorin aber auch diesmal wieder schnell in den Bann ziehen. Ich wollte einfach wissen, was hinter Zoeys Aufenthalt steckt und habe mich auf spannende Entwicklungen gefreut. Die gab es durchaus auch. Aber die Story konnte mich im Verlauf nicht so fesseln, wie es bei THE DARK der Fall war. Irgendwie plätschert die Handlung hier so dahin. Fast hätte ich beim Lesen vergessen, dass es hier überhaupt etwas aufzudecken gibt. Richtig spannend war es für mich also nicht. Auch den Figuren bin ich emotional nicht näher gekommen.
.
TÖDLICHE OASE lässt sich von vorne bis hinten gut und flüssig lesen. Allerdings hat mich die Story in diesem Fall nicht vollends gepackt. Nach einem starken Einstieg, ging mein Interesse leider verloren. Weil dann doch immer mal wieder etwas mysteriöses passiert ist, habe ich trotzdem weitergelesen.  Das Ende hat mir dann auch nochmal ganz gut gefallen. Ein Höhepunkt war es aber nicht. Insgesamt fehlte es mir einfach an Spannung. Aber ich hoffe, dass Emma Haughtons nächster Thriller mich wieder in allen Punkten einen Tick mehr überzeugen kann. 

[Charlie Morris (Read, Watch & Drink Coffee) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing mystery with a tense setting, The Sanctuary has a brilliant opening scene that instantly fills you with a claustrophobic dread.

I was a big fan of Haughton's The Dark and I love the fact that she went from frozen landscape to the scorching desert. And the locked-room thriller vibe again works quite well here. This is a rather large locked room with so much freedom outside so I never got the sense of being confined or trapped, but the isolated setting does add a lot more mystery and I certainly felt the heat.

The thriller side of the story is definitely quite domestic and not as gritty as I was hoping. But there's a lot going on, which does make it difficult to predict easily.

Unfortunately, I found Zoey to be far too nosy which is one of my pet peeves for thrillers. Make her a journalist or a family member seeking answers, and her many questions would have been more justified. I understand that she needed to understand her own place at The Sanctuary, but I feel like all she did was pester into other peoples' lives and that got a little tedious for me.

Other than that, I found this to be a quick and enjoyable thriller.

[Vanessa Wild · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoey wakes up to find herself in an isolated refuge for those with personality disorders and addiction habits. She has no memory of how or why she got there. As she opens up to the other residents, secrets are revealed and strange things start happening. It would appear not all is as it seems at The Sanctuary and just who is Zoey’s mysterious benefactor?

I enjoyed this psychological mystery. It’s a slow burner so if you like fast paced thrillers, this one won’t be for you. It has an insidious feel where the suspense is built up over time, culminating in a dramatic finish. It reminded me a little of a ‘locked room’ type of mystery as there’s no real way of escape. Most of the characters are unlikeable - I can’t imagine spending time with such a group!👀 It is a little far fetched at times and the incredulousness does grow as the story progresses. However, it is a work of fiction where anything goes apparently, so I did find it entertaining and it kept my attention throughout.

Thanks to Pigeonhole and the author for the opportunity to read it.

[Jo_Scho_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. When Zoey awakes after a bender she finds herself in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar house. Where on earth is she and how has she got here? As she explores she discovers she’s at a retreat, a rehab centre, in the Mexican desert.

As she gets to know the staff and residents she starts to relax a little. What the hell, she may as well make the most of this idyllic setting, and she has her own demons to deal with. But it all changes when someone is found dead. Then Zoey begins to wonder if she will ever get out of this place?

A fantastic concept and oh my, what a glorious location; the house, the desert, it all fascinated me hugely. My only niggle, which is always a niggle for me, is when there are too many characters to keep track of. I struggled differentiating with a few of the male characters, which hampered my enjoyment a little. But aside from that, this is a really fun locked room thriller, full of mystery and intrigue .

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Emma Houghton has 20 books to her name The Sanctuary a 'thriller' due for release in hardback in Nov 22; thanks to NetGalley.com and Hodder & Stoughton for the privilege of reviewing this pre-release eBook version. It's billed as an edge of your seat 'locked room' populated with a bunch of mixed-up part celebs and ordinary citizens who have paid for some unorthodox treatment to change their lives around. I was looking forward to reading this but a little disappointed, after the waking up of Zoey I thought oh here goes yummy who has brought me here, why am I here, can I escape! But it wasn't quite like that finding the character interaction drawn out and laboured lacking tension; the last 1/3 picked up but for me a little bland.

[Sarah the reading addict · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an intriguing book. I've not heard of this author before but I'm glad I chose to read it.

It's a brilliant story based on rehabilitation but Zoe can't remember anything.

The people working and other patients staying at the Sanctuary seem to be witholding something from Zoe. I couldn't put my finger on what it was they were witholding but I really enjoyed continuing to find out.

This was an interesting book and not the ending I imagined. I had a feeling the Sanctuary wasn't what it seemed and as you continue to read you feel you may be right. No spoilers here, just a really well written book covering some tricky subjects which the author handles well and sensitively.

[Victoria Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very slow in the beginning. The blurb had me totally intrigued but the blurb just explained the first few chapters. I felt initially that the story wasn’t going anywhere and I thought maybe this was just going to be about a girl in rehab.
When the story picked up and someone was found dead, that’s when it got interesting and I couldn’t put it down.
I wanted to love this book as much as I loved the dark but it wasn’t quite there for me.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waking up in the middle of the Mexican Desert Zoey not only has no idea how she got there but she’s no idea what happened to her just last night when she was out in a club in New York.
As she realises she’s in an exclusive rehab facility it soon be comes clear that all is maybe not what it seems to be.
A brilliant locked in read with lots of twists & turns

[Helen Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really very good! The premise seemed a little too familiar at first but I’m always happy to be proved wrong and pleasantly surprised. A group of people are holed up in a remote location, in this case a rehab centre in a deliberately inaccessible desert location. Our main character doesn’t remember how she got there or why and can’t work out why anyone would sponsor her the huge fees to be there either.
The therapy sessions are a little non conventional and secrets and mystery from the pasts of the patients start to leak out and the peril starts to mount.
This is so well written, I was desperate for the secrets to unravel and link together all the, seemingly, separate threads. There is a great mix of drama, intrigue, desperation and vulnerabilities and it overall makes a cracking tale. I also loved the ending and would love to know what happens to the main characters next. Recommend.

[Lotte Van Der Paelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I thought this was very cliché and predictable, but the second half really got me

[Rita Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Emma wakes up in a rehabilitation centre in the middle of a desert, with no recollection of how she got there, it's a clear sign she needs the help they offer. However, all is not as it appears to be and when guests and staff start to disappear, where can she go for help?

[Gioia Van ‘t Spijker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leuk boek! Niet super spannend maar je wilt echt doorlezen!

[NiWa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was letzte Nacht geschah, weiß Zoey nicht mehr. Mitten in der mexikanischen Wüste erwacht sie in einem unbekannten Haus mit fremden Menschen, statt in New York mit ihren Freunden zu sein. Es erweist sich als luxuriöses und abgelegenes Rehazentrum namens „Oase“, wo sich die Prominenz gegenseitige die Klinke in die Hand gibt.

„Tödliche Oase“ hat mich aufgrund der Autorin interessiert. Ich habe bereits „The Dark“ von Emma Haughton gelesen, ein Thriller, der statt in sengender Hitze in eisiger Kälte angesiedelt ist.

Der Roman beginnt aufregend. Protagonistin Zoey ist orientierungslos. Die Umgebung ist unwirtlich, das Reha-Zentrum beziehungsweise die Entzugsklinik liegt abgeschieden und die Protagonistin weiß nicht einmal, wie sie da hingekommen ist. Auf der Suche nach Antworten lernt sie die Oase-Mitarbeiter und die Kurgäste kennen. Sie erfährt, dass sie einer Gefängnisstrafe entgeht, wenn sie sich einem Entzug unterzieht. Merkwürdigerweise erinnert sie sich an nichts. Nicht einmal daran, was der Grund für eine Anklage gewesen ist.

Während sie gezwungenermaßen die wohlhabenden und exzentrischen Kurgäste kennenlernt, wird ihr nach und nach bewusst, dass sie tatsächlich in Schwierigkeiten steckt.

Am Anfang hat mir die Handlung ausgezeichnet gefallen. Die abgeschiedene Umgebung der Oase und Zoeys Grübeln, wie und warum sie dort gelandet ist, empfand ich als faszinierend und rätselhaft. Gemeinsam mit Zoey lernt man die Angebote des Zentrums kennen, macht mit den einzelnen Teammitgliedern Bekanntschaft, und merkt, dass wohlhabende Prominenz teilweise gewaltige Probleme hat.

Doch im Lauf der Geschichte verliert sich die Handlung - meinem Geschmack nach - zu sehr in Zoeys Erinnerungen und in der Auseinandersetzung mit ihr als Person. Zwar ist es eingangs packend, mehr über die Hintergründe der Protagonistin zu erfahren und gemeinsam mit ihr zu brüten, warum sie sich an die Nacht, die Straftat und die Anreise nicht erinnert, aber es brachte den Verlauf nicht voran.

Zoey empfand ich als unsympathisch und distanziert. Ihr Verhalten macht es schwer, eine Bindung zu ihr aufzubauen, was sich durch die Einblicke in ihre Vergangenheit und einige unerwartete Wendungen im letzten Viertel bessert. Denn hier durchläuft sie eine bemerkenswerte Veränderung, weil sie sich ihren Ängsten und Schwächen stellt.

Die Wüste als unwirtlicher Rahmen wird anschaulich dargestellt. Aufgrund von Hitze und Abgeschiedenheit ergeben sich zusätzliche Erschwernisse, die es zu überwinden gilt. Auf diese Weise heizen erbarmungslose Sonneneinstrahlung, Wassermangel und giftiges Getier den Handlungsverlauf an.

Mir gefiel weniger, dass die Figur Zoey beziehungsweise ihr Innenleben inklusive Vergangenheit weitestgehend der Mittelpunkt des Thrillers war. Selbstverständlich kommt es zu verstecktem Treiben und bedrohlichen Zwischenfällen im Reha-Zentrum, aber all dies fachte kaum die Spannung an und hat sich mir zu sehr im Sand verloren.

Dafür hat Emma Haughton ein wohliges Ende kreiert, das mich zum Lächeln brachte, weil ich es insgesamt absolut passend fand.

Für mich war „Tödliche Oase“ ein angenehmer Thriller für zwischendurch, der sich pläsierlich hören lässt und auf einer interessanten Grundidee basiert, die meiner Meinung nach recht realistisch ist, dem es aber an durchgängiger Spannung fehlt.

[Miriam Bucknell · Rating 3 out of 5]

this started off with promise, then got a bit boring and samey, then became ridiculous.

[Andy – And The Plot Thickens · Rating 3 out of 5]

My anger, my bravado evaporates, and I'm plain scared. This is surreal. Ridiculous. One moment I'm with my friends, hanging out in our favourite bar on Avenue A, looking forward to a fun-packed night; the next I wake up in some weird treatment centre in the heart of the Mexican desert.

Zoey is an aimless 32-year-old. No proper job, home, or romantic relationship. She doesn't even speak to her father or twin brother. Instead, she numbs herself by partying and avoiding responsibility.

One night, she goes out with her friends, and wakes up in The Sanctuary, a luxury rehab facility in Mexico, with no memory of how she got there. She's told she agreed to go after being arrested for assault, something she cannot recall. What makes it even weirder, is that a mysterious 'benefactor' has paid the exorbitant fee for her to be there.

At first, Zoey just wants to leave. Then, she decides to make the most of being there, despite The Sanctuary's unorthodox methods, like using psychedelics. Still, she wonders why a previous resident left in anger. And, when one of the therapists is found dead in the swimming pool, she begins to wonder whether being at The Sanctuary could be dangerous.

For a thriller, 'The Sanctuary' lacked a lot of tension in the first two-thirds of the book. I was interested enough - I finished this book in one sitting - but, at the same time, I was looking for more of a sense of unease. The action only really starts in the back-end of the book, and I feel it's quite a long set-up for a suspense novel. I'd recommend it as an easy, entertaining but slightly bland read.

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a strong premise and could have been an epic locked room thriller. The cover and the promise of an Agatha Christie style whodunit was what drew me to reading this. Unfortunately it was poorly executed and lacked that spark.

For me the pace was too slow, the characters unlikeable and the plot unbelievable . I appreciate this is fiction but it has to be a little plausible.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Während ich "The Dark" der Autorin unheimlich geliebt habe, so konnte mich "tödliche Oase" leider nicht überzeugen. Es fehlte an Spannung, Plottwists und Thrillerelementen allgemein. Die Charaktere, sowie die weiteren angesprochenen Themen waren zwar interessant, dennoch konnte mich das nur ein bisschen über die fehlende Spannung hinwegtrösten.🥲

[Lissanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

De flaptekst klonk interessant, maar de uitvoering was me een partijtje teleurstellend.
Ik kon de hoofdpersoon niet luchten en het thrillerelement ontbrak voor mij volledig.