Reporter Elsa Eldridge falls in love with a cult leader, Tyrell Toro, while trying to write a series of articles on him.
Ace reporter Elsa Eldridge is assigned to profile religious cult leader, Tyrell. But she doesn't expect to fall under his spell. How can she resist his charismatic personality, muscled body and piercing gaze? What she doesn't know could make her regret the day she ever laid eyes on him. Savvy, sexy and spiritually award, "Lucifer Rising" will keep you guessing right up until the very last page.
Excerpt
Tyrell was hurled down a long black tunnel, away from the light. He entered an infant's body. What was he, the Archangel Lucifer, doing here? He belonged with the other archangels in Paradise.
"You are being born," the Voice said.
"But I'm an angel. Angels don't reincarnate."
You are no longer an angel. You have been placed on earth to learn about suffering and humility. Until you have had these lessons, you shall not return. You shall experience what the human race is having. These are antidotes for pride and ego. You have corrupted Heaven with your arrogance.
Professional Reviews
Looking at Cult Leaders by Amos Lassen
I really like books that cause us to think about the state of society without letting you know that is what you are doing. I have always found it amazing that cult leaders rise and flourish in America and by reading "Lucifer Rising" I am a little better able to understand how this happens.
Elsa Eldridge is a reporter working on a story about a religious leader, Tyrell Toro, when she realizes that the person she is profiling is quite simply evil personified. He is attractive and that only helps him to entrap her and it is his charisma that keeps her tied to him. With this as the background of the plot, we get a look at how spirituality pulls people in. It seems possible that if Lucifer were to appear on the scene today, the best way for him to gain a following would be through fundamentalist religion where people are not expected to think. Tyro has control of his congregation. He can control the congregants' minds, he can do hands on healings and he is very handsome which allows him to use his magnetic appeal. Elsa finds herself being drawn tightly into his grasp. He seduces her and she then learns that she is merely one of his sexual conquests and that he is being sued by a bevy of former lovers. Elsa tries to get away but he has a strong hold and uses gifts and promises as ammunition. Elsa, however, is able to expose him and his world as she shows it to be a combination of the spiritual and the sexual.
The book is wonderfully written and the characters are drawn with realism so much so that it is easy to see how Elsa was sucked into the whole business.
A highly entertaining and fascination read by Gary Roen
The author shows the power a religious cult can have over an individual's life. Elsa Eldridge works for the local paper in Daytona Beach, Florida. Her assignment by her editor is to profile the head of a local faction of a holy group. She begins to find that she is mesmerized by this man and that she will do anything for him. The novel shows the frightening hold groups like this have on people, no matter what their level of education is. The novel is a warning that should be heeded.
A Fresh Look into the Dangers of a Charismatic Leader by Sarah Moore
Here are several elements that perhaps you never expect to find contributing to the evolution of a single story - dance lessons, Rekki healing, drug-dependent freeloaders, Italian food and, to top it all off, the rebirth of Satan into an earthly form. However, all of the factors are essential pieces of the plot line in the new release Lucifer Rising by Barbara Fifield. This short novel, which totals only eight-three pages of text, wastes no time in taking its readers into a world of psychological depravity and dangerous charisma. If you are ready to invest your energy into a book that may leave you with a lingering feeling of discomfort and more questions left unanswered than resolved, then Lucifer Rising is for you, as it is these very elements that make this second novel by Barbara Fifield such a powerful piece.
Lucifer Rising focuses on the power wielded by Tyrell, a local religious leader who uses his magnetic personality to bring the most vulnerable members of society under his spell. He comes to the rescue of those suffering from drug addiction, abusive relationships and loneliness with promises of healing and security. A local reporter, Elsa Eldridge, is given the task of uncovering what makes Tyrell such a popular figure and, instead of remaining an objective journalist preparing a story, finds herself in a relationship with the mysterious figure. The more time that Elsa spends with Tyrell, the more she realizes that his charm is not actually anchored in a sense of philanthropy, but a much more sinister motive.
Fifield's extensive writing background, which includes a previous novel and published works in newspapers and literary journals, is obvious throughout the content of Lucifer Rising. She creates characters that come to life with her carefully selected language and finds a way to have her readers (at least this reader!) committed to discovering the outcome of the story within the first few pages. In Elsa, we find a woman to whom most of us can relate in some way. She is struggling through personal loss, anxious to make a name for herself in her profession, and approaches new situations with a healthy skepticism. I certainly can relate to these characteristics. Therefore, when Elsa falls under the spell of a cult leader whose intentions are endlessly more nefarious than one initially realizes, it is not impossible that readers may be able to imagine themselves in such a terrifying yet enthralling relationship.
In Lucifer Rising, Barbara has created a novel that dances around many issues surrounding religion and absolute good and evil without offering clear conclusions. Instead, her writing leaves the audience the opportunity to sit with their own emotions concerning the characters and the relationships that develop. In more than one instance, I found myself questioning how I would have reacted when confronted with the emotional and physical challenges put before Elsa Eldridge when she simply wanted to write a newspaper article. I like to think that I would have maintained more distance from the dangerous figure of Tyrell, who is revealed to be the embodiment of evil, but so goes the inexplicable power of charismatic leaders. Whether or not you believe Satan actually exists, I offer that the cult of personality in our world is undeniable and on full display in Lucifer Rising.
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