Christian author and New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker is celebrating the release of his latest book The Sanctuary, the second installment in his new thriller series after The Priest's Graveyard.

"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," a preview for the new book promises, which currently sits at number 24 on the New York Times Best Sellers List.

Dekker, who has written more than 20 novels, largely exploring topics related to faith and religion, grew up in Indonesia, where he and his parents lived among headhunter tribes. "Throw a pair of shorts on, no shoes, no shirt and take off into the jungle. That's how I grew up. It was a completely different culture," the author has said – although later he moved to the U.S., where he studied philosophy and religion in school.

Dekker initially started his post-college life not as a writer, but as a businessman. He entered the corporate world and began buying and selling businesses, healthcare services, and marketing. Although he was successful in his entrepreneurial pursuits, in his early twenties he was persuaded to drop the business life and turn to his long held desire to be a novelist, his biography states.

The Sanctuary, released on Oct. 30, 2012, follows the story of a vigilante priest serving 50 years in prison for murdering two abusive men. He decides to turn a new page in life, but after the woman that he loves – and killed for – becomes endangered, he decides it's up to him to escape from prison and save her.

"The Sanctuary by Ted Dekker explores how far punishment and rehabilitation can be pushed, both in a corrections system that is flawed, as well as the human heart," the synopsis for the book reads.

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Published by Center Street, the novel is currently available in hardcover and online.