Cephas Paulson was born to solve puzzles that nobody else can solve, a talent the U.S. government has exploited with deadly results. Living in 2202 A.D., his is a world dominated by apathy and hedonism where religion is banned and the few remaining Christians hide in the shadows. Known worldwide as “The Cult Hunter”, Cephas is largely responsible for putting them there. Now living a quiet life as a Religious History professor, Cephas is reluctantly called out of retirement when the government sends him on a high stakes mission designed to crush Christianity once and for all. As the puzzles begin to unravel, Cephas struggles to find the one answer that has always eluded him, the solution to his own desire to explore faith rather than destroy it. To do so, he finds himself walking a dangerous line between two worlds and two beautiful women. One represents the temptations of the outwardly utopian world of man while the other the Godly world that he’s secretly trying to understand. Unfortunately, neither these worlds nor these women are truly what they appear to be, leaving Cephas to wonder if “The Cult Hunter” has become the hunted. Luckily, like the Apostle Paul, Cephas’ learns that God often chooses His champions from the least likely among us and even “The Cult Hunter” has a place in His plan.

Puzzle Master Series Book Two It’s one thing to declare yourself a Christian, but it’s quite another to live as one… Martha’s words - ‘You are’ - feel like a curse to Cephas as the world attempts to define him. The Corps declares him a madman; Four calls him a murderer; and the Christian elders view him as little more than a useful tool in the pursuit of their own ends. Worse, each definition seems to come with a death sentence. Cephas knew that testifying to the truth of Christ would mark him for death with the Corps - but he never expected that Four would put him on trial for the acts he committed as The Cult Hunter! Once again, Cephas must unravel the puzzles if he wants to stay alive, starting with the mystery of why Martha rescued him from the Corps when her standing orders are to kill him on sight. As the pieces come together, even Cephas is left to wonder if Four represents the Christian world he dreamed of joining - or something much darker.

Twice, Cephas has traveled through time … but once again, his time is running out… The Final Holy War rages between Four and the Cult Hunters, and neither side is taking prisoners. As The Corps begins to spread its deadly new biotoxin around the globe, Zip orders a full-out assault in an attempt to steal enough vaccine to save her followers. The bloodbath only serves to pit the remaining Christians against each other, with even Bethany House divided. His small flock now scattered, Cephas and Martha race to solve the greatest puzzle of his life: one in which the missing pieces are scattered throughout his past, present … and future. With hope fading, even Cephas can’t recognize which of the dark days ahead represents the “Moment of Darkness” that Christ foretold he would someday face. As the pieces come together, and the picture becomes clear, Cephas is forced to face his greatest fear alone. In this puzzle, the final piece … is him.

The Puzzle Master saga concludes with “The Angel Protocol” The adoring world that rejoiced when Jocie Paulson returned from the past with the solution to the “Mark of the Beast” genetic damage has just as quickly sentenced her to death. When mysterious notes appear inside the time machine, it’s clear that someone has a different plan and is willing to manipulate Jocie’s past, present and future to change her fate. While the puzzle pieces fall into place, even the Four network and her family join with old enemies to stop her plan. As the forces against her align, Jocie rallies an unanticipated ally to her side, hoping that time and their intertwined fates won’t catch up with them, all the while knowing that the only solution to the puzzle includes sacrificing her own future.