The devil's best trick How the face of evil disappeared

Why have so many cultures believed in the devil? In this gonzo and sometimes chilling account, Sullivan (Graveyard of the Pacific), a longtime contributing editor to Rolling Stone, entertains the idea that it's because the devil really exists. Dividing his narrative into two parts, Sullivan first reports on the 1988 death of Tate Rowland in Childress, Tex.--a suspicious suicide that locals became convinced was a satanic ritual--then recaps a journey to Catemaco, Mexico, to witness a famous Black Mass. Interspersed throughout are histories of the devil in religion and art (touching on the likes of William Blake and Charles Baudelaire), and profiles of such unsavory individuals as 19th-century Freemason and alleged KKK founder Albert Pike--long regarded a "satanic pope" by conspiracy theorists--and 1970s serial killer Lawrence Bittaker. Through it all, Sullivan remains "committed to a consideration of the Devil... as an actuality," and even reports a hair-raising in-person meet-up, claiming to have exchanged words with the "elegantly dressed... gent" himself as he passed by in a crowded plaza ("I'll catch you later," the devil said). The book's most entertaining writing is memoiristic, as Sullivan throws himself into the Catemaco adventure with self-deprecating humor, but what holds it all together is a sincere yearning to understand evil. It's a dizzying plunge into darkness in search of moral clarity. (May)

An investigation of evil and how it manifests in our society. As an acclaimed journalist, Sullivan, author of Graveyard of the Pacific, Dead Wrong, and other books, thought of himself as a man of reason and intelligence, with a good dose of cynicism. Then, when covering the wars that tore apart Yugoslavia, he confronted too many atrocities to believe that nothing was behind them. The author sensed the presence of evil and began to research the origin of it, which led him to the fundamental figure of malignity. While researching the book, Sullivan brushed against inexplicable, personal incidents--e.g., a weird threat from a well-dressed stranger, an ominous letter in his mailbox, the dream image of a black dog. The author shows how Christianity gave the Devil a personification, a central role, and a name. Sullivan looks at the theologians who wrestled with the conflict between the persistence of evil and the presence of an omnipotent God, finding that none of them reached a satisfying conclusion. He also studies a number of serial killers and murders, as well as accounts of a carefully documented, nightmarish exorcism that lasted four months in Iowa in 1928. Yet somehow, writes Sullivan, the Devil has been able to convince everyone that he does not exist, so is "able to hide in plain sight because of the cover we all give him with our fear, our denial, our rationalization, [and] our deluded sense of enlightenment." The author believes that the Devil is real, but, he adds, each of us is responsible for our own decisions. This is not an easy book to read, and some parts are profoundly disturbing. Sullivan offers crucial insights, but timid readers should think carefully before entering its dark labyrinth. A compelling journey into the heart of darkness with an articulate, capable guide. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.