Part of The Lonely Motel, book 3
First published 2025
Michael Enhart has broken down countless cult members over his career as a deprogrammer. He arrives at the Lonely Motel expecting another routine extraction. His target is Gloria, a member of the Children of Dinah cult whose birth mother wants her back. But Gloria proves far more cunning and challenging than Enhart anticipated. She makes him an unexpected offer: if she can demonstrate three genuine miracles, he must release her. Enhart agrees, confident in his ability to expose her deceptions. The motel itself seems to have different plans for both of them as the night unfolds. Gloria warns Enhart that this story centers on wrath, not forgiveness. Each miracle Gloria attempts carries a steep price. The deprogrammer who thought he had encountered every form of manipulation discovers that some battles require pain before any healing can begin.
Genres: horror, contemporary, adult-fiction, thriller, psychological-thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, intense, psychological, suspenseful, unsettling
Tropes: battle-of-wits, high-stakes-negotiation, trapped-setting, unreliable-reality
Setting: Lonely Motel
Period: 21st-century
186 pages · Paperback · Shadow Work Publishing
Content warnings: gaslighting, violence