Introduction : fools, fears and fanatics -- The Assassins ; nothing is true, everything is permitted -- Templars, illuminati and Freemasons : the secret seat of power -- Priory of Sion : keepers of the Holy Grail -- Druids and gnostics : knowledge and the eternal soul -- Kabbalah : origins of the apocalypse -- Rosicrucians : the pursuit of esoteric wisdom -- Triads : cultural criminals -- The Mafia and Cosa Nostra : wise guys and businessmen -- Yakuza : traditions and amputations -- Wicca : the great goddess and the horned god -- Skull & Bones : America's secret establishment -- Secret societies in popular culture : an endless fascination -- Critics, alarmists and conspiracy theorists : when does paranoia make sense? -- Afterword : of demons and baloney