Maggie's boss, Assistant Director Cunningham, is very suspicious of the cult's leader, the Reverend Joseph Everett, the same man Maggie's mother seems under the spell of. Members of the cult are afraid to talk, including the sole survivor of the group suicide in the arsenal cabin in Massachusetts.

While the charismatic leader has many faithful followers, there is a group of young people who are secretly unsure of the Reverend, and they are afraid of him since they have heard horror stories about the fate of those who have chosen to leave the group. There may also be one very dissatisfied member, one who may be trying to set up the Reverend to take the fall for a series of unspeakable murders.

Through all this, Maggie must fight her own demons within herself and with her mother, trying to repair a very damaged relationship. At the same time, she is trying to keep her mother from the grips of a man consumed with controlling people's minds and their souls.

Maggie O'Dell is not a very strong female heroine, nor is she even very likable. She has many demons from her past, both personal and professional that would seem to cloud her objectivity in cases, especially one so close to her. She admittedly leans heavily on alcohol for relief, yet chastises her mother for doing the same, even blaming her mother's alcoholism for some of her problems. Her superiors either don't seem to notice her problems, or else they don't think they affect Maggie's ability to do her job. Many times she seems quite capable, but then issues arrive and she seems very vulnerable and even incapable. Maggie does have the sense, however, to know that now is not the time to pursue her budding relationship with Nick Morelli.

Soul Catcher is very readable and even though the murderer is fairly obvious. His biggest clue is easily recognizable, though its significance is not figured out by the FBI agents, nor by the local police.

The inside look at a zealous cult is intriguing, as is the very notion of people so desperate for change that they are willing to give up everything familiar to them for a chance at what they see as a happier life. Short chapters and constantly changing scenes keep the pace moving at a quick clip when Maggie and her problems drag down the action.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry