Tony Ortega

"Miss Lovely" was the code name the Church of Scientology used for Paulette Cooper, a freelance writer who wrote an early exposé of the cult entitled The Scandal of Scientology (1971). The organization was willing to go to astounding lengths to silence Ms. Cooper; its "dirty tricks" included threats, espionage, and even an attempt to get her falsely convicted of federal crimes. Scientology's operatives, working under the command of L. Ron Hubbard and his wife Mary Sue, wanted to see Ms. Cooper neutralized through either a prison sentence or commitment to a mental hospital. They came dangerously close to succeeding.

I am familiar with author Tony Ortega's reporting on Scientology from his Underground Bunker website. He has a good reputation as both an old-fashioned investigative reporter and a talented writer. Although I found the thoroughness of his research remarkable (apparently Ms. Cooper herself was surprised--and shocked-- by some of the information he unearthed), I was less impressed with the flatness of the narrative's prose. There is a fair amount of repetition and lots and lots of names. A scorecard would have been helpful.

Still, I recommend this book to Scientology watchers who want a complete account of the organization's infamous "Operation Freakout" and the woman who was its target.… (more)