In this medical thriller, a doctor must stop a charismatic cult leader from spreading dangerous medical advice to his gullible followers.

When Dr. Mark Lin meets pregnant Shannon Dixon on his hospital rounds and sends her to a nearby clinic for more tests, a disastrous chain of events follows. While Shannon is on the phone with Mark at the clinic, he hears someone yell “purity is mine,” a scream, and then the sound of a blast. Shannon is dead and Mark is haunted by her last call.

Later, he begins to suspect the meaning behind the bomber’s last words when a patient arrives at the hospital and mentions a health group touting the “Path to Purity.” The group is actually a cult led by the mysterious Sun Priest. By following the “Path”—absurd medical treatments; reciting a pledge; paying dues—followers are promised an end to their mental and physical problems. But Mark soon learns by infiltrating the group that the Sun Priest and his true faithful have other ideas, too—plans that pose a serious threat to a chain of hospitals and clinics.

The fun is watching Mark get out of tight corners in impossible, often preposterous ways. The book’s medical scenes—the author has a medical background —are reader friendly: Patients arrive with odd medical problems, wacky symptoms, and weird homespun remedies. Likewise, the cult’s inner workings and the rituals along the “Path” to purity show some authorial ingenuity. Mark, for instance, has to take a 30-minute ice bath twice a week in a frigid air-conditioned bathroom to rise to the next level.

The book is purely plot-driven. Beyond Mark’s work life and moral compass, the author reveals little about him. There are few secondary characters of any real note, and Mark’s interactions outside the hospital tend to be uncomfortable and stiff.

Despite such issues, this is a fast-paced, action ride that will entertain its audience.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.