The Prophet Motive: A Cult Thriller [Kindle Edition]

Eric Christopherson (Author)

Book Description

Red Adept Reviews Indie Award for Thrillers/Suspense 2011

San Francisco Homicide detective John Richetti spent part of his childhood living inside an infamous cult known as the People's Temple. As a boy he'd lost his parents to cult-instigated mass suicide. The memories come flooding back when he investigates the bizarre suicide of a former member of Earthbound, a New Age cult--and suspects murder instead. To uncover the truth he infiltrates the group, along with police psychologist Marilyn Michaelsen.

The new recruits find themselves pushed to their physical and mental limits by a series of sophisticated brainwashing techniques as well as by a cult leader, known only as The Wizard, who appears to possess psychic and paranormal powers. Even the psychologist's expert knowledge of cults can't explain The Wizard's feats, and it isn't long before John, like his parents before him, surrenders his independence to another . . .

This ebook contains a bonus excerpt:

Chapter 1 of CRACK-UP by Eric Christopherson
Best Mystery, Red Adept's Annual Indie Awards, 2010

Product Details

• File Size: 413 KB
• Print Length: 236 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Eric Christopherson; 1 edition (June 29, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003UBTWDM
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,125 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Genteel readers might want to sit this one out August 15, 2012

By S. Emoto

Format:Kindle Edition

After serious contemplation, my opinion is that sensitive readers may want to take a pass on this uneven and, in places, somewhat unpleasant book.

Part of the problem is the subject matter, part is the uneven writing, and part is the character of Homicide Inspector John Richetti, a highly-stressed hard-drinking policeman who was caught up in the Jonestown cult as a child in the `70s -- the one where 900 people drank the Kool-Aid.

At times, Richetti is so dimwitted and irresponsible that even his undercover partner calls him a "stupid bastard." Here's one example: He gives seven sleeping pills -- seven! -- to a cult member not used to taking them (this isn't a bad guy) and the person almost doesn't wake up. Here's another: Despite being specifically warned not to tell the truth because admitting personal weaknesses lets the cult get their hooks into you, he openly admits his involvement at Jamestown. He always knows best and he's always wrong.

In fact, neither of the investigators, Richetti or Marilyn Michaelsen, the police department psychologist who accompanies him under cover, is up to the task -- the supremely dangerous job of infiltrating the Earthbound cult and bringing two suspected murderers to justice. But at least Michaelsen has some brains and self control. Richetti is a fool.

But here's the crux of it.

If you're touchy about abusive situations involving children or violent rape or coercive acts involving feces (I'm sorry, there's just no oblique way to say it), you should really consider giving this book a wide berth. At the part about forced coprophagia about two-thirds of the way in -- hey, you're going to have to look it up, I'm not defining it -- I almost put the book down in disgust. And at the end, I'm not so sure I shouldn't have stopped there. Your tolerance for this kind of writing may vary, of course.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars high ick factor August 15, 2012

By terry westover

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Ok, this is not a slap at the writer's skill or plotting. I just found all the graphic violence against women disturbing. I got the book because I was interested in how the author would describe cults (it was informative) and found the idea that a cult leader might have "special" powers to be a twist on the story that might be interesting. However, I could not finish the book, it was just too creepy - instead of looking forward to the next plot development I just felt dread at what awful thing was going to happen, probably to some woman, next. So - for those of you looking for light entertainment, or with a distaste, like mine, for repeated detailed description of sexual exploitation and violence - this is not a book for you. Just saying.... Those with stronger stomachs, enjoy.

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another superb suspense thriller by Eric Christopherson! July 11, 2011

By J. Chambers TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Note: This review was originally published at Red Adept Reviews on June 23, 2011.

Overall: 5 stars

Plot/Storyline: 5 stars

Having devoured two earlier novels by Eric Christopherson, I knew he could crank out superb suspense thrillers, so I downloaded The Prophet Motive, expecting another good one. The Prophet Motive did not have quite the heart-pounding suspense of Frame-Up or the intense mystery of Crack-Up, but it was very close.

The story involved a cult called "Earthbound," which was one of those "save the earth" groups. The leader, L. Rob Piper, was known to his followers as "The Wizard," due to his apparently supernatural powers. After the suicide death of a former Earthbound member, San Francisco cop John Richetti and police psychologist Marilyn Michaelsen infiltrated the cult to find out what was going on.

The first couple of pages hooked me, as a good crime story should. From there, the suspense ratcheted up as Richetti and Michaelsen gradually learned about the cult and its operations, and built a criminal case against its leader. They were in danger of being found out, but the bigger danger was being brainwashed by the cult's very effective indoctrination and mind control methods.

The story had some fascinating enactments of the mind control techniques that many cults use to recruit members and gain their unconditional loyalty to the cult and its leader. In addition, The Wizard used neural implants to control members' behavior. Some of the neuro-technology sounded like science fiction, but I looked it up, and it's based on fact. Scary stuff, since it can be used for both good and evil purposes.

Characters: 5 stars

John Richetti and Marilyn Michaelsen were good characters. They weren't naturally attracted to each other, but the potential for romance was always there. Richetti and his parents had been members of Jim Jones' Peoples Temple, and the nightmare memories of that experience motivated Richetti to bring down The Wizard before another Jonestown-like mass suicide could occur.

L. Rob Piper, aka The Wizard, was - as many cult leaders are - highly charismatic, with powers that appeared to be supernatural. Richetti and Michaelson knew they would have to resist his Svengali-like attraction, or their undercover mission was doomed to fail. Piper invoked memories of the infamous Jim Jones, but he had developed advanced mind control techniques that Jones could only dream of.

Writing style: 5 stars

The author knows how to write a fast-paced, suspenseful crime drama. Richetti and Michaelson were always on the verge of being exposed as cops, but their steady nerves held, even after it became clear that The Wizard was more than just an environmental zealot, and that he would stop at nothing to preserve his kingdom.

The vivid flashbacks of Richetti's life as a child in the Peoples Temple compound in Guyana were very effective in building a growing sense of horror at where the story could go.

Christopherson's writing was descriptive without being overly verbose, and dialogues were realistic. There were a few scenes that were quite violent.

Editing: 4 3/4 stars

I found only a handful of typos and grammatical errors, and the Kindle formatting was very good.

The Prophet Motive is novel-length with 7,808 Kindle locations, which included excerpts from the author's other novels Frame-Up and Crack-Up.

More About the Author

Eric is a former police officer and federal government consultant. He is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Texas at Tyler, where he majored in Psychology, and he has a graduate degree in Public Policy Studies from Duke University.

He was born in California, grew up in New England, and has since lived throughout the United States and a bit in Asia. He now lives in semi-rural Ohio with his wife, Seiko, a toddler son, Keith, and another child on the way.