Does a sinister cabal actually control international affairs? Were William Shakespeare and Abraham Lincoln secretly involved with a group founded to discover and preserve the principles of alchemy? Has an ancient mystical religion really been reduced to a length of red string that sells for a dollar an inch? Secret societies surround us, yet they often remain a mystery. Their secrecy suggests sacrilege and crime, and their loyalties stand accused of undermining the worlds governments. They generate fear, suspicion, andabove allfascination. From the parched wadis of the Middle East to the crowded boutiques of Beverly Hills, award-winning author John Lawrence Reynolds peels away centuries of speculation and paranoia and shines a brilliant light on organizations that have been shrouded in secrecy for ages, from the Templars and the Mafia to the Priory of Sion and Skull & Bones. He offers a smart and surprising behind-the-scenes exploration of the talesconfirmed and fabricatedthat surround the best known and often least understood secret societies.