"The Program" is one of those books that I hated to put down when real life got in the way of my reading time!Gregg Hurwitz presents us with Tim Rackley, a former US Marshal, who is brought back into the service for one purpose only: to retrieve a film mogul's daughter from a mind-control cult. In order to do so, he goes underground in the organization itself.Hurwitz obviously knows his stuff. While it's quite clear that The Program is an amalgamation of such groups, I recognized the recruiting techniques from a visit in the early 1990s (at the behest of a longtime friend) to an informational overview of The Forum. The lovebombing, the room temperature manipulations, etc., were all right there. I also remember the obvious disapproval of Forum members when I walked away from "this golden opportunity to change your life."Hurwitz gives us suspense, characters to care about, and information all in one package. Not to be missed.
