The Last Days of Madame Rey

In Hill's second Stephan Raszer thriller (after 2002's Enoch's Portal), an odd blend of suspense and the supernatural, Raszer, who bases his operations in California, hires himself out to clients seeking the rescue of individuals who have-willingly or not-joined obscure cults and religious sects. When Abel Cohn, senior partner at a prominent Los Angeles law firm, hires Raszer to track down his missing son, Fortis, Raszer crosses paths with the Military Order of Thule, a group of right-wing extremists led by the charismatic but psychotic Bronk Vreeland. Aided by the requisite attractive sidekick, April Blessing, who inevitably is captured by Vreeland and sexually assaulted, Raszer pursues his quarry around the world even as his shadowy allies suggest he probe a link between the Order of Thule and the legend of Lemuria. Labored writing and an indifferent plot make this series a mere shadow of Seabury Quinn's classic Jules de Grandin stories, which likewise feature a supernatural sleuth in over-the-top adventures.