The bizarre, immoral and criminal behavior of Nxivm founder Keith Raniere is the subject of a new book.

In The Program: Inside the Mind of Keith Raniere and the Rise and Fall of Nxivm, Raniere’s ex-girlfriend shares some of her stories from the eight years she spent with the blossoming cult leader, and the subsequent 20 years spent trying to escape his grip.

Raniere was so controlling writes Toni Natalie, that he even contacted the family of one member to see if he could have her head to freeze shortly after she passed away from brain cancer.

That was after he had advised the woman not to seek treatment for what she would eventually learn was stage IV brain cancer says Natalie, and ignoring her request to leave NXIVM.

The Program hits bookshelves on Tuesday.

Natalie writes that in 2012, Barbara Jeske ‘began to have terrible symptoms, which Keith assured her were carpal tunnel syndrome and could safely be ignored.’

One year after the symptoms had started, Jeske did see a doctor, and was told she had stage IV brain cancer.

‘With months to live, she contacted her sister Cindy, told her she wanted out of Nxivm,’ writes Natalie.

It was no use however, despite Jeske’s sister Cindy volunteering to help her leave the group.

That is because Jeske’s savings were being kept in Mexico, where she was unable to access them, and she still owed money to Raniere and the program.

Unable to get that money and therefore unable to pay back Raniere, Jeske found herself in a local hospice where Raniere was in charge of her treatments rather than a family member.

This set-up became a problem according to Natalie when Raniere and Nancy Salzman wanted to remove Jeske from hospice care to attend Vanguard Week, the annual Nxivm celebration.

‘Are you crazy? She’s dying… let her die in peace,’ said Cindy when she heard the request.