Believer

A teenager convinced there’s more to a cousin’s estrangement than family friction leads to the exposure of a cult operating in plain sight.

Prairie Nightingale, PI, has it all: great kids, a private detective agency run by brilliant women, and maybe a handsome FBI situationship. When her daughter’s best friend asks her to look into a bitter family estrangement, Prairie is reluctant to take on a case that requires even more life/work balance than she’s already attempting—especially with her parents visiting from out of town. But when everyone she talks to takes her deeper into a labyrinth of lies, control, and secrets, she and her team begin to untangle the history of a couple with a knack for gathering fervent followers … and collecting criminal charges.

The existence of a cult is difficult to prove, and this one’s members are less than forthcoming, requiring Prairie and her fellow agents to deploy all of their available tricks and talents. Joyce is uncovering shady history and false identities, Emma’s partnered with ex-members to appeal to her podcast audience, and Prairie and Foster find themselves following the money and working undercover. Even Prairie’s parents chip in: as residents of an Oregon commune, they know the ins and outs of high-control groups. And, to Prairie’s horror, her daughters sneak in a spy mission of their own.

But a cult is most dangerous when it’s threatened, and Prairie’s desire to rescue believers makes her a target—and risks exposing cult members on the run. She’ll need more faith in her abilities than she’s ever had to find the truth.