Review of Sanctuary by James Cleary

 Title: Sanctuary

Publisher / Publication date: Random House (April 28, 2026)

Language: English

Format / # of Pages: hard cover, 368 pages

Genre: Thriller/Suspense

ISBN/ASIN: 9798217188918

Reviewed by: Michelle Caffrey

 When Fiction Feels Uncomfortably Possible

Some books entertain. Others leave readers with questions. James Cleary's debut thriller, Sanctuary, accomplishes both.

What struck me most wasn't the action or suspense, although both are exceptionally well done. It was the unsettling plausibility of the premise. As I read, I looked around my home, my community, and the routines of everyday life with growing unease. Cleary imagines a world altered by climate disasters, but he does so with such realism that the story never feels far-fetched. Instead, it feels uncomfortably possible.

The novel explores hard questions without offering simple answers. Who deserves safety when resources become scarce? What responsibility do those with wealth and power have to those struggling to survive? Can preparation and privilege truly protect us, or are they merely temporary barriers against forces larger than ourselves?

More than once I set the book aside to consider what I would do in the same situation. It's easy to judge people from the comfort of our living rooms. It's far more difficult when survival, family, and fear enter the equation. Cleary doesn't offer simple answers, and the questions linger long after the story ends.

For me, the most powerful books are the ones that entertain while also challenging the reader to think. Sanctuary does both. It is an engrossing thriller, but it is also a thoughtful examination of privilege, survival, and the choices people make when the world they know disappears.

I finished Sanctuary, eager to see what Cleary writes next.

Michelle Caffrey Author www.MichelleCaffrey.com