Exclusive Excerpt: The Cult-y Travel Thriller You Need

In author Katherine St. John's gripping new novel The Vicious Circle, a mysterious inheritance leads to a whole lot of trouble. And also sexual tension. Read for yourself right here....

- Katherine St. John

First, though, some background: 29-year-old Sveta Bentzen's life is a mess. With her modeling career and engagement to her longtime boyfriend both in trouble, she's sleeping on a friend's couch, when she gets shocking news. Her estranged uncle Paul, a famous self-help guru (christened Shiva by his ardent followers), has mysteriously died. Even more shocking: He's left his entire estate not to his wife Kali, who runs Xanadu, his retreat center in Mexico, but to Sveta. And the attorney in charge of the estate is none other than Lucas Baranquilla, Sveta's former flame who ghosted her years ago. Lucas insists on accompanying Sveta to her uncle's funeral at Xanadu, worrying that Kali will contest the will and fight to be named Paul's rightful heir. This chapter takes place shortly after Lucas and Sveta arrive at the retreat center, which seems like a secluded paradise...at first. But it's not long before the facade wears thin and sinister forces become apparent, starting with the ceremonial burning of Paul's funeral pyre, after which his devoted disciples gather for a memorial dinner under Kali's watchful eye.

Kali's face is radiant in the abundant K candlelight, enhanced by the wreath of white flowers in her hair. She stands at the head of our table in the front of the dining room, flanked on one side by Aguilar, Rex, Ruby, and me, and on the other by Hikari, Lucas, Blaze, and the freckled brunette who was playing the bronze bowl in the meditation chamber earlier. The rest of the group is scattered among wood tables of about 12 each, adorned with bright jungle flowers and lit by candles in mason jars, while crystal chandeliers burn softly overhead.

"Shiva accomplished so much while bodied," Kali says. "But I know his greatest joy was the Mandala and what we have created here at Xanadu. He loved each of you like he loved himself, and he will always be within you. He is not gone; he has simply shed his human form."