The Cult of Me, by Michael Brookes, is about a man, who can control others thoughts. He find out he has this ability when men try to kidnap his mom from their home. He ends up killing one of the men, which in turn saves both himself and his mom.
He then spends the majority of his life, honing in on his mind controlling skills. After his mom passes away, he ends up homeless due to blowing through his inheritance. He passes the time on the streets by finding two people a day that he judges. He enters their mind to determine their “sins” and punishes them according. He finally becomes bored of being on the street. He kills five men on the street, two of them being police officers. He allows himself to be captured, so he can continue his “fun” in jail. Jail ends up not being what he expected.
The storyline of The Cult of Me is creepy and innovative. Most of the times, when books are centered around serial killers, it is the same story just done in a little bit different way. The story line is generally, murders have been committed. We are given little clues and it is up to the police or FBI to determine, who did it. In this case, we know right away, who the murders is and why. We then sit back and watch the authorities slowly unravel how the murders are being carried out. I have never come across a book that uses mind control as the mode of killing.
The book uses flashbacks to explain how he developed his skills and offers an insight into the main character’s present day actions. This is a very useful tool; allowing more character development.
The author is able to add to the creepiness of the book by writing in the first person. Many serial killer books are written in third person omission. The reader is sharing the serial killers thoughts and plans as they are occurring. A twist is thrown into the book, while in jail. I was not expecting the twist but it was a well played.
It is mentioned, people have a fear of not make an impact on the world. I think this is an underlying if not predominant fear in most people.
The Cult of Me is a book that makes you look at the world a little different. It instills or surfaces some underlying fears in everyone. It is a serial killer book with a twist and a very unexpected ending. I would have to say, this is a page turner. It caught my attention from the first chapter.
Books by Sarah Goffman 