Shadow Retreats

Libby’s friend Bella Crenshaw has recently joined a new-age, self-help group founded by Kali Patel, who is the most sought-after guru in the new enlightenment movement that is sweeping the country. Love & Mercy has hundreds of devoted members, including many in the Hollywood elite, and Kali Patel and her second-in-command, Uma Devi, have opened branches of the organization across the country, including in southern Arizona. Despite a few reservations, Libby finds Bella’s enthusiasm catching, so she quickly accepts an invitation to attend a highly anticipated retreat weekend south of Tucson. The property is an amazing oasis in the desert, a beautiful place with lush plants, water features, and a luxurious meeting facility. Retreat attendees stay in cute cabins, and Libby’s black Lab, Shadow, is allowed to come along. They quickly settle into the quiet atmosphere, with healthful foods, juices, and meditation sessions that instill a wonderful sense of peace and stillness. Then things begin to go sideways. Bella’s newest friend in the group, a beautiful California girl named Jill, disappears. Another young woman dies suddenly, and Libby has a disturbing experience at a gathering and begins to notice things that don’t seem in keeping with the ‘love and peace’ vibe she initially felt. It becomes apparent that millions of dollars are being funneled through the organization, and encounters with a couple of unsavory characters have Libby wondering—is this a legitimate religious group or some kind of cult? What’s behind the disappearances? And where are those windowless white vans going? Can Libby and Shadow figure it out before something terrible happens to Bella—or to themselves?