Dark Sanctuary

The novel opens with Anthony Lovell, Sr., master of the ancient abbey of Kestrel and its like-named island off the Cornish coast, raving in madness and fear over the ancient family curse that "dwells in the bowels of the abbey rock." What has caused his madness is unclear, but it is obviously linked to something seen or experienced in Kestrel's ancient crypts. Lovell's son is called back from London and, soon thereafter, John Hamilton, a free-lance journalist and friend to the younger Lovell, makes his way to Kestrel as well…

The first thing worth noting in Dark Sanctuary is its use of a historical record to provide authenticity. The history of Kestrel given in chapter one is as fictitious as the abbey and island itself, but it includes just enough real historical data to be believable. Positioned as it is, early in the novel, it also has the benefit of pulling the reader into the story almost immediately