The vicious circle : a novel
(Book)

On a river deep in the Mexican jungle stands Xanadu, a wellness center that is home to The Mandala, an ardent spiritual group devoted to self-help guru Paul Bentzen and his enigmatic wife Kali. When Paul suddenly dies, his entire estate--including Xanadu--is left to his estranged niece Sveta, a former model living in New York City. She travels to Mexico to pay her respects, and Xanadu seems like a secluded paradise. But the mystical façade wears thin, revealing a group of brainwashed members drunk on false promises of an impossible utopia and a disturbing, dangerous belief system--and leader--guiding them. Now Sveta's only hope for survival is to put her confidence in the very person she trusts the least.