Author Shoemaker combines stark memories with collected declarations, recollections, and confessions from other sources, painting a haunting portrait of a dangerous religious cult, its pernicious leader, and its devastating effect on family and friends. In his teen years, Shoemaker became attracted to Shirley. They married and had children, but they were desperately poor. One factor was Shoemaker's serious drug addiction, which led to shoplifting and encounters with the law. When family members introduced him to their religious beliefs, he was able to renounce drugs, and he and Shirley became devout churchgoers. Unfortunately, the group with which they allied themselves was led by a lustful, power-mad man called Leviathan, who began having liaisons with Shirley with her consent.

Leviathan's perfidies included numerous "wives" and physical torture for anyone who dared to disobey. As the cult spread to Africa, quelling it seemed a hopeless goal, but the author and others close to him, enheartened now by genuine Christianity and protection, persisted in the battle. True religious belief, imparting strength and courage, would rescue Shoemaker and his loved ones from Leviathan's criminal activities.

Shoemaker, now a deacon and minister, has for years dedicated his energies to such tasks as facilitating trauma recovery ministry. With contributions from others who had similar confrontations with Leviathan, he offers both a vivid, often frightening memoir and a valuable alert to those who may be tempted to follow a similar, downward path. The author shares accounts crafted credibly and realistically from others who escaped from Leviathan's despotism, and from those in his carefully cultivated religious circle, including Pastor Eli and author Anna Armstrong (Power of Truth). Shoemaker's spiritual values and the seemingly insurmountable barriers he overcame in gaining them will serve as an inspiration to Christian readers and all those in need of spiritual support and guidance.

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