The majority of the book is a retracing of Eliade's early support of the Iron Guard and a history of other scholars' attempts at disclosing this. Most agree that Eliade was not a "card carrying" member of the Iron Guard and that he provided no material support to the cause. However, there are a few articles that make his moral support explicit, and when confronted about it, Eliade denied writing it at all. Eliade died in 1986. Lincoln convincingly argues that Eliade did write these contentious articles and that Culianu, initially skeptical himself, was also coming to the same conclusion before his murder.

One leaves with the sense that while Eliade definitely wrote in support of the Iron Guard and Christian chauvinism, it was a sort of milqutoast cheerleading blended with mumbled criticism. Reprehensible, yes, but perhaps only marginally worse than Heidegger's Nazi ties.

The final chapter suggests the murder was done at the behest of Eliade's wife who feared that Culianu was going to publish translations of these articles and tarnish her husband's memory. Also, I think Lincoln's capping about losing those papers in a dumpster.