Vermin. Vandalism. Violence. A foul stench pollutes the atmosphere within St. Aloysius Episcopal Church. Reverend Silas DeBassompierre is a young clergyman with a lot of enemies within his congregation; and he trusts no one, not even his capable and devoted administrative assistant, Grace. Is Satan responsible for the strange phenomena at St. Aloysius, or is a force far more subtle and sinister at work to sabotage the reverend’s ministry? More than what meets the eye will inevitably be revealed when a tormented priest on the edge of the abyss performs . . . Lustration Rites!

“David Carter does it again in Lustration Rites. Like his previous debut novel Familiar, the bizarre plot is nightmarish and Kafkaesque, but underneath is a simple allegory of corruption and crisis. Carter delivers a literary novel that digs deep into the world of theology and philosophy.”

• William K. Lawrence, Author of The Punk and the Professor