The Mormon Murders: A True Story of Greed, Forgery, Deceit, and Death

Rating:
Summary: Terrifying
Review: A friend who had picked this book up (used) but hadn't read it gave it to me. After I read it I told him about it--and he wanted it back!

I won't recap the other reviews (so do check them out at this site. Suffice it to say that immediately after reading it I went on line to do some research and was told by several "recovering Mormons" (their term) that it was entirely accurate and, if anything, understated the power and goals of the LDS church.

Rating:
Summary: Incredibly detailed case superbly presented
Review: Each time I read this book (by my count, an even half-dozen to date), I marvel at the talent of these writers for turning an overwhelming volume of dry and complex research into a clear, compelling page-turner with more twists and turns than a mountain road. Aside from the crash course in history and culture of Latter Day Saints, I'm constantly intrigued by the detailed backgrounds provided for the antique document market, the business of printing and forgeries and the saint (no pun intended)-like patience of police investigators. All this, fleshed out with the strongly-drawn personalities involved, raises the normally lurid "true-crime" genre from the sensationalistic gutter and places it squarely into journalism -- definitely a new standard. There are a number of books published on this topic, and I've read most of them. This is the most comprehensive, the least "slanted", and certainly the most fascinating. I've got two copies -- one to read and re-read, and one to loan!

Rating:
Summary: Very enlightening
Review: I was a young girl living in Ogden, Utah when these murders occurred. I read this book shortly after its publication, and found it very enlightening and true to form. It was a terrifying mystery when the events occurred, and the media never fully explained the behind-the-scenes facts surrounding the bombings. I feel this book was very objective about the Mormon religeon and its reaction to the events surrounding the bombings and forgeries. The book is a fascinating account of the greed and murders, and anyone remembering the events will find this an eye-opener. For those who aren't familiar with the history, it's a wonderfully written, insightful book that you'll find difficult to put down.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book - Shame on you Mormon Church!
Review: I've read this book a number of times and each time it is so clear that the LDS church is nothing more than a fraternity type organization that wants to increase membership to increase income, and in order to carry this out, must silence critics where possible and hide damaging documents that weaken the "faith" of their members. The Hofmann incident is a classic example of how desperate Hinckley and the rest of the "big boys" were to sweep everything under the carpet. The interview in Time Magazine with Hinckley further supports this idea. When asked pointedly if men can become gods, Hinckley didn't have the nerve to admit that this was taught by the Mormons, obviously because this is such a non-Christian and ridiculous lie perpetrated by Satan himself. But that is exactly what Lorenzo Snow's quote teaches - "As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become". Gordon B. Hinckley, I hope you are reading this because you are a coward and a dishonest person to be furthering the heretical lies of your organization when so many people around the world are trusting in your so-called "authority".

Rating:
Summary: excellent book
Review: If you read the other reviews of this book, or any other book which Mormons might consider uncomplimentary of their faith, it is easy to pick out who are the Mormon reviewers and who are not. If the book criticizes Mormonism, the Mormon reviewers inevitably slam the book, call it fiction, say that it slanted, biased, uninformed, etc., etc.

That being said, I thought "The Mormon Murders" was excellent. The authors obviously had extensive information from insiders on the case, particularly some of the police officers and prosecutors. Mark Hoffman, perhaps the most accomplished forger in American history, manipulates and tricks everyone he comes in contact with, duping them like the con-man extraordinaire he is. And despite their alleged power of discernment, the Mormon leadership is duped even more easily than the common people in the book.

There was never a thorough, public accounting of the Hoffman case because the LDS leaders pressured the prosecuting attorney to lower the charges and let Hoffman plea-bargain---thus saving high-ranking LDS leaders from having to testify under oath.

This story has been depicted by a few different books. After this book, "Salamander" and "A Gathering of Saints" painted uncomplimentary versions of the LDS Church's complicity in these crimes the Church fought back in a round-about way by having some LDS scholar write a book called "Victims" and publish it through the Univ. of Illinois. Don't be fooled--the book's main purpose is to try and exonerate the LDS leaders from looking like idiots at best and conspirators at worse.

I've read that the rights to "The Mormon Murders" were purchased by a network. It is a great story for a TV movie and yet, not surprisingly, it has never made the big screen or little screen. Does anyone have to guess why?

Rating:
Summary: A story inhabited by caricatures
Review: The authors do a good job of pulling together massive amounts of information from the trial and interviews, into an easy-to-follow, suspenseful read. I had no problem following the events.

However, I did have a hard time buying into the representations of the different real-live people that the authors describe. In my opinion, it is one thing for an author to struggle with the creation of a believable multi-dimensional character that he is creating out of thin air. However, it is another thing that these authors had a hard time describing the multi-dimensional facets of the real-live people they are writing about. Unfortunately, this is a book of 'flat' people...people with no depth. It is that very depth of character that would have added so much more to this story. There is undoubtedly room for more compassion to be felt for many of the people who were active players in this event...Mark, his victims, family members, even the people from the LDS authority that were involved. However, the inability of the authors to really put a 'human' face on even some of the victims, a face that would elicit recognition and compassion in me, significantly impaired and dulled my ability to be fully emotionally involved in this experience.

Rating:
Summary: I found this book to astonishingly informative and detailed!
Review: The book names names and places and supports itself from an outside perspective in a very objective and informative manner. The scenario and politics of this mover and shaker conservative and very powerful organization is accurately portrayed in a bone chilling portrayal which enlightens the unaware reader as to the endless means man will go to to establish power and wealth--even to the ends of murder and self-conviction that the action is the Lord's will. I found the twists and exposures of this book a real page-turner and recognizing several of the persons described therein, found it amazingly accurate. An excellent and gutsy read for those within and without the organization of the Church. It has apparently been blackballed in this state. I have not been able to find it in any bookstore nor library. I purchased my copy in Chicago. There is apparently such thing in Utah as the Separation of Church and State.