The Nine Pillars of Happiness

Book excerpt: Book description: Ben is an investigative reporter whose new assignment plunges him into the bizarre world of a wealthy 2,000-year-old cult in Florence, Italy. Its grand mission seduces Ben into believing he can find fulfillment by leading its seven hundred members in a great cause—thwarting the seventh incarnation of Dispater and so averting the terrible prophesy. But millennia of enforced inbreeding have destabilized the cult members. So Ben must deal with deception at every level—even by those he trusts. In the end Ben acquires immense power, and through his consuming obsession almost becomes the very thing he seeks to destroy.