by Lia Matera
First published 1994
Laura Di Palma thought she had seen every kind of legal mess San Francisco could produce. Then a northern California spiritual leader lands on her desk, accused of filming his disciples in compromising situations and selling the footage. The guru's followers insist their teacher is innocent, but the evidence keeps mounting against him. Di Palma must navigate the murky world of alternative spirituality and sexual exploitation while prosecutors circle like sharks. Her investigation pulls her deeper into a community where devotion and manipulation blur together. The case forces her to question how far people will go in the name of faith and what happens when trust becomes a weapon. Di Palma discovers that in this world of gurus and followers, nothing appears as it seems on the surface.
Genres: fiction, suspense, mystery, crime, contemporary, legal-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, investigation, unreliable-narrator
Setting: San Francisco
Period: contemporary
224 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: sexual-content