cover image Cults That Kill: Probing the Underworld of Occult Crime

Cults That Kill: Probing the Underworld of Occult Crime

Larry Kahaner. Warner Books, $17.45 (280pp) ISBN 978-0-446-51375-3

Interviews here with police officers, psychiatrists and others in the field make it clear that there exist in the U.S. all sorts of cults that are involved not only in bizarre ceremonies and the ritual sacrifice of animals but also in child sexual abuse and perhaps even murder. Kahaner ( On the Line ) draws distinctions between satanism and witchcraft and shows how such Latin American phenomena as Santeria (perverted worship of the saints) and Brujeria (a mix of ancient Aztec practices and Catholicism) are allied. But, most disturbing, apart from the reports of children involved in ritual practices, are the testimonies of adults who joined in such incidents in their youth and have been scarred by their involuntary participation. This is a revealing study that will prove shocking to readers. Photos not seen by PW. (August)