When his girlfriend Ryoko Tachibana disappears, Toru Narazaki hires a private investigator. The PI warns Toru that Ryoko joined a cult and that locating her will be dangerous. Undaunted, Toru infiltrates the organization, known to Japanese police as Cult X. Though the Master of Cult X lectures on Buddhism (expanded by particle physics), the cult is best known for multiplayer orgiastic sex, the observation of which allows true believers to experience God. Cult X's interests go beyond sex and God to include the terroristic overthrow of the Japanese government. Brian Nishi gives the book an inspired reading that keeps the story moving along. Nishi's vocal characterizations, sexual moans, groans, and outcries are outstanding. Though the story can be confusing and the audio version hard to follow owing to the Master's long lectures on Eastern and Western religion, astrophysics, particle physics, and modern Japanese history, Nakamura is a popular writer.
VERDICT A terrific audio production that should be included in "adults only" collections. ["This best-selling novel from one of Japan's most talented crime writers offers a provocative look into the world of extremist beliefs in modern culture": LJ 5/1/18 review of the Soho Crime hc.]
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