The Program

By Gregg Hurwitz

The series that started it all!

In this powerful follow-up to his action-packed thriller The Kill Clause, Gregg Hurwitz, the new maestro of pulse-pounding suspense, ratchets up the excitement with another sensational page-turner featuring Tim Rackley, a driven lawman motivated by honor, morality, and a deep sense of justice.

Called back into the fold of the U.S. Marshals Service, Tim is tasked with retrieving Leah Henning, the daughter of a powerful Hollywood producer, from a mind-control cult. As Tim wends his way deep undercover into an insidious operation called The Program, he confronts a brand of mind-warping manipulation beyond his worst expectations.

Tim becomes enmeshed with a diverse band of characters—from the charismatic, messianic leader T. D. Betters to a cult reject burnout to the intelligent yet highly vulnerable Leah herself—and finds himself caught in a shadowy landscape of lies, manipulation, and terror. At stake: innocent minds—maybe even his own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061750496

Gregg Hurwitz

Gregg Hurwitz is the critically acclaimed author of The Tower, Minutes to Burn, Do No Harm, The Kill Clause, The Program, and Troubleshooter. He holds a B.A. in English and psychology from Harvard University and a master's degree from Trinity College, Oxford University. He lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews for The Program

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The character of Tim Rackley is also seen in a previous novel, "The Kill Clause". Tim returns to service with the US Marshals and goes deep undercover of a cult to locate Leah Henning. This cult is into mind control, which can be (and normally is) a nightmare! Tim goes in as a willing participant. What he witnesses makes him determined to shut The Program down once-and-for-all. To do so, Tim must face his own horrible past and fears. It is the only way to convince the leaders of the cult that he is sincere. But one thing is certain: Tim will either shut down The Program or die trying. I devoured this book. What a disturbing insight into a cult and how quickly people become "reprogrammed." "The Program" gives the reader a front-row view of the personalities that lead, and follow, in such groups.

[novakane79 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

captivating thriller, knowledgeable writing. highly recommended read. (if you thrive on excitement)

[lenaphoenix · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Program tells the story of a disgraced cop who redeems himself by infiltrating a dangerous cult to rescue a vulnerable young woman. Hurwitz has done his research and writes with convincing detail about the methodology behind aggressive recruitment techniques, offshore financial shenanigans, and some of the more insidious kinds of mind-control. At the same time, however, the cult he writes about is so extreme as to border on caricature. Most of the members of his group are very one-dimensional, and the leader, a sort of personal growth guru gone VERY bad, is clearly a scam artist. That said, as a thriller, The Program is well-crafted and a seductive read.