While in college in upstate New York, Shay Evans and her best friends met a captivating man who seduced them with a web of lies about the way the world works, bringing them under his thrall. By senior year, Shay and her friend Laurel were the only ones who managed to escape. Now, eight years later, Shay’s built a new life in a tony Texas suburb. But when she hears the horrifying news of Laurel’s death — delivered, of all ways, by her favorite true-crime podcast crusader — she begins to suspect that the past she thought she buried is still very much alive, and the predators more dangerous than ever. It’s the devotion, the isolation, the dependency on an individual that can reveal the dark side of cults, when the leader uses their charisma to enact horrible acts. Cult leaders have been convicted of assault, theft, embezzlement, and even murder in the past. I think many of us can name a cult or two off the top of our heads: Heaven’s Gate, NXIVM, Jonestown. Inside every cult are people with families, friends, and loved ones left wondering what happened or desperately trying to get them out. If you’re looking to read about some fictional cults, try these ten thrillers about cults. If you’re still in the thriller mood after reading these thrillers about cults, why not check out these YA mystery and thriller novels about vacations gone wrong or these missing people thrillers?
