Dragged into the Light

by Tony Russo

Ohio housewife Sherry Shriner grew to prominence as a social media cult leader, flourishing in the era of conspiracy theories and the 9/11 Truther movement. She preached the virtues of mysterious orgone energy and Christian prayer as defensive shields against the forces of darkness, Lucifer and his demons; reptilian shapeshifters masquerading as human elites; the New World Order; cell phone towers; even hostile UFOs that flamed out over her home, visible only as shooting stars. Amazingly, she built a coterie of passionate devotees. The more outrageous the lie, the more fervent their belief. In 2017, she told follower Steven Mineo that his girlfriend, Barbara Rogers, was a witch who would kill him. A month later, Steven was dead, and Barbara was in jail charged with his murder. Steven's death proved Sherry's divinity to her followers, but in reality, he was just the latest casualty in a string of online trolling attacks that had left an earlier believer dead of suicide and still more cast into the outer darkness of cyberspace. Journalist Tony Russo follows Sherry Shriner's cult, digs into its bizarre beliefs, and reports on the shredded lives and reputations surrounding an otherwise-nondescript woman who transformed herself into a web-based evangelist in the wee hours of the night. The incredible story is documented in dogged reporting, surviving internet chats and transcripts, and voluminous police records.

Genres: True Crime

258 pages, Paperback

Published May 25, 2021

About the author

TONY RUSSO was born in Queens, New York. First published in Aboriginal Science Fiction magazine, Mr. Russo was a contributing author for West End Games, LLC, license holder of the official STAR WARS roleplaying game system. He appears in TALES FROM THE EMPIRE, published by Bantam Books. He took 2nd prize in the 2003 New Century Writer Awards for Novels judged by Ray Bradbury. ZAK CORBIN: MASTER OF MACHINES was a semi-finalist in the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards for Young Adult fiction. In March 2016, his teen historical adventure, DARKEST HOUR, will be available through Divertir Publishing.

Reviews

[Ceeceereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a very relevant look into conspiracy theories, not dissimilar to Qanon, although here it focuses on a particular brand of bizarre conspiracies. It was fascinating at times- particularly delving in to the psychology behind the mindset that falls into such a negative way of thinking, but I mostly found it too heavy and dark due to the nature of the subject matter. It felt like going down the rabbit hole of internet madness and conspiracies which can be compulsive reading but can also be mentally draining and a little too depressing to be jumping into during a normal day. I was craving some lightness while reading this. It’s a navigation into an obnoxious truthers mindset that is crippled by insecurity, fear, and paranoia. I thought the psychological insights were interesting and would have liked a deeper look at this.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is full-on bonkers... so I have obviously read, listened, and watched everything about it. Of the many ways I've ingested this story, Russo's book isn't my absolute favorite. He enters the story through two central characters, but as he widens his lens, it felt a little chaotic. I missed the focus of the beginning. All in all, if you can't get enough of the Sherry Shriner story, this is a great addition to the lexicon.

[Laur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dragged Into the Light by Tony Russo, made top of my list in bizarre true crime books. The book centers on Sherry Shiner, a self-made prophet with an internet cult following. The account, both extremely tragic yet intriguing, recounts Shriner actions and mentality with what goes through the minds of individuals who seek to control the lives of others, and well as the needs of some others, to control their lives.

Enter "Truthers", and Reptilians (Shape Shifting Lizard-like Aliens) who Shriner believed and taught were Satan and his demons), Super Soldiers, and Special Pucks to ward off evil and battle the aliens - mix it with conspiracy theories and murder, and you have the makings of Dragged Into the Light.

Tony Russo narrates the book, however, his voice is like a reporter, and the audiobook's feel is more like a podcast than an audiobook. The narrator's voice while not unpleasant, is basically monotone.

Recommended for those who enjoy conspiracy theories with religious tones.

3 Stars ⭐⭐⭐

My thanks to NetGalley, Secant Publishing, and Tony Russo for the opportunity to listen to an AAC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

"--people we think of as conspiracy nuts pity our ignorance, gullibility, and blind acceptance of the world as it appears."

Some of us dream in technicolor, some others don't dream at all.

I'd never heard this story or of this particular cult before, but I had, of course, heard of the Christian doomsday belief with Lucifer here on Earth.

Interestingly, it is the exact same premise as with the show Supernatural, which has an absolutely massive pop culture fan base. A war between angels and demons here on Earth. Lucifer in the flesh. Possession.

However, it was really the author's perspective that I found the most interesting. They are intelligent and definitive in their own beliefs, much like the people they write about.

There is a lot of hurtful language used throughout this book. It seems all alternative thinkers have been plopped into the same barrel of "crazy".

What we definitely can agree on however, is the dangerous and destructive power obsessive beliefs and paranoia can yield.

The text is very clean and the author is a genuinely talented writer. Even though we occupy different perspectives about the nature of reality, or at least the possibility of it, I still found I didn't want to put it down.

"We can agree to disagree about whether or not there’s a God, but we can’t agree to disagree about whether or not I am possessed by an evil spirit -- If you say I’m possessed, we don’t have a difference of opinion. We’re occupying two realities."

*Review copy received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest view.