In 2005 a Vatican-run university opened its doors to priests from around the world, running a course for would-be exorcists. Looking for a story, Rome-based investigative journalist Matt Baglio attended the class, and there met Father Gary Thomas -- a Californian priest who had been chosen to attend by his bishop. Father Gary was concerned that many of the 'possessed' were in reality suffering from psychological disorders best left to the care of doctors. How and why his view changed is the subject of this book. We follow Father Gary's year-long training with a senior exorcist as he is transformed from a doubter into a believer. Baglio gained unprecedented access to this world, including participating in exorcisms and culminating with Father Gary's own fearsome confrontation with the Devil. Woven into his story is the fascinating history of exorcism, its rites and rituals, and the ways and reasons that people become possessed. Matt Baglio speaks to psychologists and detectives, as well as Vatican clergy, to wrinkle out the truth about this most Gothic of subjects. The Rite is proof that the truth about demonic possession is not only stranger than fiction, but far more chilling.

麥特．貝格里歐（Matt Baglio）

在加州聖地牙哥出生長大，一九九六年由加州大學聖塔芭芭拉分校畢業，獲英國文學學位。在《超限滑雪板雜誌》（TransWorld SNOWboarding）擔任短期實習與編輯助理後，搬遷到洛杉磯尋求自由撰稿生涯。

二○○○年，為努力拓展視野，貝格里歐到歐洲一遊，在羅馬認識了後來的妻子。不久後，他全職搬到義大利，經年為各種新聞組織與雜誌社工作，其中包括美聯社、《美國雜誌》、《國際先驅論壇報》、《滑雪板期刊》（The Snowboard Journal）、《色彩雜誌》（COLORS）等多家機構。

貝格里歐的興趣廣泛，讓他得以接觸多元的寫作主題如：梵蒂岡政治、反黑手黨警察、奧林匹克賽，以及撒但邪教。目前，他與妻兒住在羅馬。《現代驅魔師》是他的第一本著作。