Empire of Light by David Czuchlewski

Czuchlewski's debut novel, The Muse Asylum, was a gripping mystery that didn't follow convention. He followed it up with Empire of Light, a novel about a man trying to rescue his ex-girlfriend from a religious cult.

Matt Kelly is surprised one evening when Anna turns up on his doorstep in a rainstorm. She's just coming down off of a bender, and all of the reasons for their break-up are evident. She's still playing the wild child, Matt's moving toward responsible adulthood. Shortly after spurning her advances, Matt learns that Anna has disappeared, and her wealthy father is growing concerned. It turns out she's been adopted by Imperium Lumenis, The Empire of Light, a powerful sect of Catholicism that requires strict devotion to the faith (Readers of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code will probably begin drawing comparisons here, but the two books aren't in the same league.) Anna is becoming more attached to the group, and Matt realizes the only way to get her out is to join himself. The lines of right and wrong begin to blur for Matt. Is this really a cult, or just a powerful social organization? Does Imperium Lumenis brainwash their subjects, or give them tools to deal with their demons?

Matt has the chance to rescue Anna but isn't sure if she needs to be rescued. Indeed, his life begins to unravel as he discovers that their are three sides to every story: his side, their side, and the truth.