No comments about True to the Game III.

5 comments about The Darkest Night: Two Sisters, a Brutal Murder, and the Loss of Innocence in a Small Town.

1. Author Ron Franscell captures a moment in time that burns itself into the reader's heart, mine and soul. He accomplishes the impossible by making a 35-year-old tragedy excruciatingly real just as though it is happening today in the reader's own home town.
   
   From his eloquent description of a jury on page 88 to his brutally honest appraisal of Wyoming's prison system on pages 267 and 268, this writer makes no apology for wearing his heart and his emotions on his sleeve. He emphasizes how both he and the town of Casper, Wyoming were forever changed in one dark night by one unforgiveable act.
   
   The proof that Ron Franscell is a master of his craft is one paragraph on page 199 where he speaks of victim Becky Thompson. He describes this courageous young woman: "She died because she had already been murdered many years before. She fell from such a height that it took nineteen years to hit the bottom. She was crushed beneath something bigger than she was." Writing just not get any better than that.
   
   There was only one disappontment in the book and that is the fact that the author does not include a readable copy of poem by artist Michael Carr that is pictured with his "urban petroglyph" on the canyon walls under the Fremont Canyon Bridge. I would like to know what it says.
   
   This book reminds me a great deal of "Justice Waits" by Joel Davis. Both authors were directly affected by the murders they wrote about and both men are superb writers.



2. I was expecting this book to be like the hundreds of other true crime books I've read. There's a formula out there and they rarely waiver. The author takes us down his own memory lane into one of the most brutal and eventually heartbreaking crimes in history. Long on story, short on numbing details, you'll learn about the terrifying night two sisters spent at the hands of brutal sociopaths and the justice system that spared their lives. The conclusion was painful to think about and difficult to imagine. Kudos to the author for writing such a lovely testiment to these two victims.



3. Possibly the best true crime book I have ever read. Kept me turning pages until the very end. Would like to read much more from this author.



4. I will never understand peoples way of thinking! Why murder someone to spend the rest of your life in prison or worse. I have a temper don't get me wrong but I have never wanted to kill anyone. I feel sorry for those girls all those years ago.



5. very sad story, very upsetting and heartbreaking. It reads well and flo's good, one section with alot of legle mumble jumble that is neither here nor there, I just wanna know if the creeps are still in jail in plain terms. But overall the writer did such an awesome job making you feel as if you were there, alot of work on his behalf.

5 comments about Book of the Dead (Kay Scarpetta, No. 15).

1. Dr Scarpetta is back!!! If you are a fan .. it will hard to put the book down!



2. I'm afraid she jumped the shark with this one. Disjointed and random thoughts do not constitute psychological tension.



3. I don't know who is writing Ms. Cornwell's books these days. Very disappointing. "Book of the Dead" is poorly written, confusing and very choppy.



4. The audio cd's were very difficult to determine when they would start or stop. There was no music or direction to change cd's. The packaging was terrible. They slipped out and fell all over the car. Disc one was totally confusing as it described some chapter that was way into the story. A waste of $27.



5. MISS THE FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW
   
   I've always been a fan of Cornwell's work, but I miss
   the old, first person point of view. I felt closer to
   Scarpetta when I was inside her head and I'm not
   always that keen on seeing what the other characters
   are doing when she's not around. Hope we see more from
   Kay's perspective in the next one.

1 comments about The Mysterious Montague: A True Tale of Hollywood, Golf, and Armed Robbery.

1. The title of Leigh Montville's new book tells you a lot about the story without ever having to read a page. John Montague played golf and schmoozed with some of the most famous of the 1930's Hollywood celebrities. However, something in his personal life would eventually turn his world totally around. This book will probably not win any literary awards, but it is entertaining, amusing, and at times quite unbelievable. Golfers will love it, non-golfers will enjoy it.

5 comments about Storming Las Vegas: How a Cuban-Born, Soviet-Trained Commando Took Down the Strip to the Tune of Five World-Class Hotels, Three Armored Cars, and Millions of Dollars.

1. Well researched and written. The author does a good job of not glorifying the bad guy, and gives the victims real faces. The only disappointment of the book- and the author certainly tried to uncover the truth, is what was Vigoa's actual military background? Perhaps one day we'll find out.



2. To be fair, John Huddy had somewhat of a slam-dunk on his hands with this under-told story. Even so, his writing and thoughtfulness took it to a level it wouldn't have reached in less capable hands.
   
   Huddy, a former police and crime beat reporter found an amazing story that had been downplayed by casinos and Las Vegas papers because of the potential for negative impact on their business. For a little longer than 24 months at the end of the 1990s and beginning of the 2000s, several Las Vegas armored cars and big-time casinos were robbed in a manner that was clearly planned by someone with a knowledge of weapons and tactics well beyond that of the average criminal. Furthermore, they were bold - done right on the strip in broad daylight.
   
   Huddy tells the story of these heists and the law enforcement effort to solve them in a gripping, nearly fiction-like narrative style that keeps you almost frantic to find out what happens next. To achieve this effect, Huddy has spent an obviously huge amount of time researching the story first-hand, talking at length with those who were involved.
   
   The finished product is the tale of a man born in Cuba and trained by the Soviet military who ends up in the United States under questionable circumstances and turns to his military training to earn an illicit living in Sin City. In this case, truth truly is stranger than fiction.
   
   Huddy deserves credit for painting an even-handed portrait of the men who committed and solved the crimes, resisting the urge to just give in to stereotyping. Beyond that, Huddy finishes with a thoughtful analysis of who our Cuban anti-hero might truly be, and who he might not be. All in all, Huddy has found a great story and done it full justice with his treatment.
   
   Highly recommended for anyone who likes non-fiction crime stories. An action-packed descendant of "In Cold Blood", by Truman Capote.



3. A good read if your DVD is broke, you ran out of beer, and your main squeeze ran out the door with the toothless pizza delivery man.
   
   But come on. These super crooks wouldn't have lasted a day if the mafia still ran Las Vegas. Instead we have the morally and intellectually stunted super capitalists in charge like Steve Weenie (at least I think his name is weenie). Will the incompetent cops catch the incompetent crooks while the brain dead rich guys snooze on? It's a page turner.



4. A must read for anyone who visits "The Strip". You will easily recognize virtually every location described by the author in this book. He documents an amazing story in startling detail. You will be fascinated by his descriptions of events that most of us would never imagine could actually happen at these famous locations on "The Boulevard".



5. 
   I bought this for my husband, but as we travel around I have enjoyed listening to it immensely. Very good story.

5 comments about The Innocent Man.

1. I have read all of Grisham's books, and am a big fan. This by far is his worst book. Although you could tell he spent a lot of time researching for this book, it is SO BORING. The detail he goes into is excruciating. You can easily read 10 pages and 1) feel like you read 50 and 2) realized you could have easily just skipped those pages. Stick with his other stuff because it's really good, but don't waste your time on this one.



2. I was disgusted with the poor writing, awkward telling of the 'story', and just about everything else. I literally threw it in the trash.



3. After lying unread on my bookshelf for over 9 months, I finally got around to reading John Grisham's latest offering and first work of non-fiction - "The Innocent Man".
   
   Growing up on a steady diet of Erle Stanley Gardner and in love with Perry Mason, it was but natural that I become a fan of John Grisham's legal works of fiction. But other than "Skipping Christmas" which was moderately interesting, his non-legal fiction did not excite me at all. So I wasn't sure what to expect with his work of legal non-fiction.
   
   Fortunately it was interesting reading for the most part except the botched trial that got really slow and repetitive. Since this was a true story and Grisham was using actual court transcripts, he had to keep it so, but could have edited it a bit to make it crisper. Maybe all the legal serials we watch - The Practice, Law & Order, Boston Legal and others of their ilk have gotten me to expect snappy, sharp detective work, logical but persuasive arguments by counsel and crisp closing statements. The way the case was handled was completely slip shod and pathetic and makes you wonder at the possibility of truly getting justice unless you are in a TV serial.
   
   Little wonder that a libel suit was filed against John Grisham on 28, September 2007, by Pontotoc County - Oklahoma, District Attorney Bill Peterson and Gary Rogers, a former Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent.
   
   This true story, is remarkable for the fact that the main accused Ron Williamson who was framed by the law enforcement team of Pontotoc County was not just a "white" man, he was a semi-FAMOUS "white" man.
   
   Ron Williamson was a local hero on the baseball field and was also the 41st pick in baseball's 1971 amateur draft, a second-round selection by the Oakland Athletics. Due to poor performance, he did not hit the big time but he was still quite a local celebrity when he was accused as the murderer of cocktail waitress Debra Carter.
   
   His co-accused Dennis Fritz had nothing to implicate him except that he and Williamson were occasional "drinking buddies". Ironically Fritz's own wife had been murdered 7 years ago.
   
   The police used forced dream confessions, convicted felons as snitches and witnesses, junk science and other dubious means to get them both convicted. Williamson got the death penalty which automatically set a series of appeals in motion while Fritz got a life sentence.
   
   Through his incarceration, Williamson deteriorated physically and mentally despite the efforts of some good hearted souls until the Innocence Project - (basis for the serial In Justice) helped get them both acquitted after 12 years on the basis of the new technology - DNA testing.
   
   Grisham read Williamson's obituary when he died (5 years after being released) and was inspired to research and write this book.
   
   I started out reading the book, knowing that the main accused was innocent (could the title have been more descriptive?). Grisham wrote the book, knowing that Williamson was innocent. But even someone who didn't know some of the data presented here in hindsight, could have seen that this was a wrongful conviction. And it appalls you that even though the case came up for appeal multiple times, each person upheld the original wrongful conviction.
   
   Hence Grisham seems to have achieved his major goal in writing this novel.
   
   "If you believe that in America, you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you.
   If you believe in the Death Penalty, this book will disturb you.
   If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you"



4. This is not a real book. It is a long detailed story about something that happened. Very boring. It is not a typical Grishem book. It is more like a long exhausting magazin artical. You will find an everage of 15 names in each page. In some, I was counting 28. Now think about it, a page full of names. It get realy confusing some times.
   I hardly made it to page 200, and from then on, just flip quickly through the pages, to get the general Idea of what will happen.
   Sham... Sham.. Sham. Glad to see that 17 other people gave only a single point to the book.
   I have the feeling that the book was Co-Writen, by others for Grishem. Co-Writers, that made the veriuos investigation, and their reports, were added to the book, almost as is.



5. Someone suggested I read this book because of my strong opinions about the criminal justice system. She felt that I'd like it, but I browsed through the book, and although sometimes the language is repetitive, I bought my first audio book hoping it would be more exciting to read this way. Indeed, it was. While I'm reading the reviews that say this book is "boring," the criminal justice system locking people up from big words and blood tests that I'm not convinced are 100%; the government not giving any money or even an apology to those who were wrongly convicted; and the way prisoners are treated in the prison system makes this book relevant and interesting. I didn't even need to hear the author's note to know this book was based on a true story. I hear stories such as this one time and time again, and I'm glad that Grisham pointed out within this read how rare it is to find White men who are accused incorrectly of crimes such as this, but how typical it is for minorities or the poor to constantly be accused and convicted with little or no sympathy for those who really are innocent. I read reviews saying they were bored with Ronnie's depression and alcoholism, but imagine giving up 12 years of your life for a crime you did not commit, being bipolar, and prison guards making fun of you through the night in addition to the government not letting you have the correct medication.
   
   While I do wish there was a cleaner conclusion, the truth of the matter is that many crimes like this remain unresolved, and this is why the government is so set on pinning the first person that looks a little funky. I enjoyed this book a lot. Thanks John!

5 comments about McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld (Borzoi Books).

1. To make a long story short, this book is essentially the history of the mafiacation of soverign states during the turbulent phase of the 1990s. Numerous case studies are presented which map out the ways, shapes, and forms of organized crime penetration from unstable regions and societies into the the formal structures of stable and legitimate governments.
   
   For glaring example, the Yakuza crime syndicates gradually evolved into a parallel legal system in Japan, then foundering in their own inefficiencies, began subcontracting their day to day rough work to the Chinese Triads.
   
   The lesson here is disturbing to the idealist mentality, because Misha Glenny is clearly pointing to the inescapable conclusion. Mafia like organizations are becoming increasingly interlinked and coordinated and resultantly imposing their values, tastes, methods, and derangements on a world order poorly equipped to monitor them, much less curtail their activities.
   
   Many luxury items such as caviar and cocaine are now thoroughly controlled through distribution networks that seem actually more sophisticated than their legitimate corporate counterparts, while just as many counterfeit luxury items are manufactured and distributed by the same organizations.
   
   Without belaboring the point, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the world is on the brink of a regulatory crisis phase where tax evasion, counterfeiting, human trafficing, militarized organ harvesting operations, wholesale corruption, social brutalization and cultural degeneracy are inseparably intertwined.
   
   A grim prognosis is ever there were a grim prognosis, and yet the general public seems blissfully unaware of the plague spreading around them, while the political class seems all to happy to sweep these metastasizing social carcinomas under the rug and furiously debate the most inane of trivialities instead.
   
   Which is either shockingly unshocking, or unshockingly shocking, while we numb out to unreality TV and the semiotics of Britney.



2. McMafia is an argument for the legalisation of drugs. Without explicitly demanding such a thing, it gives the best possible argument for legalising all narcotics; that drug money is the engine of the McMafia.
   Misha Glenny covers many more McMafia activities; cigarette smuggling, investment scams, slavery, fake goods, intimidation etc, but behind them all lies drugs and the massive profits they engender.
   He points out that we in the west are largely to blame. We buy the fake DVDs, hire the slaves and turn a blind eye to the sweatshops. Mainly, we buy the drugs.
   The author's point is that so long as the drug barons grow fat on human misery, so will the McMafia thrive.
   A hypnotic read.



3. Misha Glenny has tapped into a deep and dark undercurrent that is sweeping the globe: from Eastern Europe, to Africa, to the Middle East, to Japan and China, to the West including the U.S., and most places in between: corruption and organized crime both with and without government complicity, has become a silent grime reaper that must be reckoned with, lest it sweep our own civilized way of life down into the undercurrents with it.
   
   The stories in this book are mind-blowing not just in the creative ways that international criminals get around legalities and quickly learn to exploit the latest laws and technology, but also because they are so widespread and so injurious to what we have come to respect as a normal, ordered civilized and moral existence. Organized international criminals are resourceful, intelligent and intent on colonizing the world with a new set of decadent values. A new "Criminal world order is already deep in the making.
   
   In most of the rest of the world, a reliance on an underground economy is an existential imperative (in post-Communist Russia, for instance, Nigeria, or Albania and indeed most of the poorer countries in the Middle East). The King of the underground economy, whether in the first or the third world is drugs: The West seems to be the carriers of a disease that makes drugs a necessity, and the rest of the world is all too anxious to apply a remedy for us.
   
   But even if drugs were shutdown completely there is still trafficking in pirated goods, in humans, mostly young women being forced to go from poorer to more advanced countries; and now also computer and identity thefts.
   
   What to do? While the UN has shown an interest in "trafficking in humans," has had the issue on its agenda for a number of years, the larger phenomenon of international organized crime is too large even for that international body to get its hands around: Misha Glinny has seen the future and given us a glimpse into it, and it is very dark indeed.
   
   An outstanding read. Five stars



4. I read this book like a novel and will never look at the world in quite the same way again. A bit of what Misha Glenny reports, I had intuited, much I was ignorant of, all I believe. It openned for me new layers of awareness about how the world works, and his style has so much forward momentum that no sooner have you finished reading about the Ukraine than you are launched into Israel, Dubai, India, and on and on. Each time based human stories of frightening and fascinating reality.



5. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RN6OUHJHOY2DQ Bernard Chapin saying hello and glad to report on a book I couldn't put down.

5 comments about The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America.

1. A fascinating journey behind the World's Columbian Exhibition in 1893. Even non-history buffs will be amazed by stories behind popular attractions like the ferris wheel, the "name-dropping" of everyday goods that were introduced to the world for the first time at the fair and the struggles of heroes like Daniel Burnham and the villainous H.H. Holmes.



2. Go back to the 1893 World's Fair that changed America. The Devil and the White City, a novel by Erik Larson, takes the reader back to the time of the World's Fair through the eyes of two remarkable men - Daniel H. Burnham and H.H. Holmes. Daniel H. Burnham was a brilliant architect who was forced to overcome many obstacles to construct the 1983 World's Fair. H.H. Holmes on the other hand was a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor while leading his victims to their death in his World's Fair Hotel, complete with a crematorium and a gas chamber. Erik Larson accomplishes what he set out to do, telling a tale with such drama and mystery that readers will find themselves double-checking to be sure they are not reading a highly imaginative novel. Although readers might find parts of Burnham's story slow at times or H.H. Holmes sinister activities grotesque, this can be easily overlooked by the vivid descriptions, great sentence flow, a nail-biting suspense story, and a terrific supporting cast that includes Thomas Edison, Buffalo Bill and Susan B. Anthony. It is no surprise that Erik Larson was nominated for a National Book Award for The Devil in the White City. He is also a former features writer for Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine, where he is still a contributing writer. Larson has also taught non-fiction writing at various colleges and seminars and has spoken to audiences from coast to coast. The magical appeal and disturbing dark side of 19th century Chicago are both revealed through Larson's masterpiece. The enjoyment of this story is only heightened by the fact that the story is true.



3. I found "The Devil in the White City" to be a truly amazing book to read. I expected that the portion of the book dealing with the serial killer, H. H. Holmes, would have been fascinating, and that ended up being true. Reading about the diabolical operation of this man, who had no moral problem murdering women who loved him and small children who had done nothing to harm him, was shocking and kept me turning pages.
   
   I was surprised to find, though, that the descriptions of the construction of the World's Fair were just as compelling and suspenseful. I was astounded at the obstacles Burnham and the other architects were faced with, and the ways in which they consistently were able to make unthinkable things happen in a nearly impossible timefame.
   
   The research of this story was impressive, and I liked the details making clear the issues that would have faced the building industry at the time, things such as difficult access to clean water, that wouldn't be a thought in the minds of workers today.
   
   The events and especially the names dropped into this story, from Helen Keller to Walt Disney to Mark Twain to Susan B. Anthony, made me feel this fair took place in a truly magical time for the United States. It was hard for me to put this book down, and the contrast between Holmes' story and Burnham's story made this tale both horrifying and uplifting.



4. For history buffs and mystery afficienados this is a super book. It is a non fiction book about the Chicago World's fair and the serial killer who preyed on the citizens of Chicago. I found it extrememly interesting.



5. The author narrates two parallel stories: the struggle to create the Columbian Exposition of 1892 and the progress of a serial killer who preyed on women who were drawn to Chicago by the fair. Larson shifts back and forth between these two threads, parceling out his information in such a way that every chapter ends with a cliff-hanger.

5 comments about The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective.

1. We always think of detectives and crime-solving as things that have gone on for centuries. In actual fact, Edgar Alan Poe invented the detective story in 1841, and the next year the British set up their first detective police to solve crimes where the criminal wasn't immediately apparent. For much of the 19th century these individuals were essentially making it up as they went along, and dealing with a variety of public prejudices (bobbies originally had to wear their uniforms all the time, to avoid corruption and the possibility of them sneaking up on someone) and strange practices to invent, as they went along, the craft of crime-solving.
   
   In 1860, 18 years after the detective department was founded (they had offices in a square in downtown London known as Scotland Yard, hence the name) a young boy was killed in rural England. His throat was cut rather viciously, and he was thrown into a privy. The house in which he lived with his family was very large, and since the doors were locked, it seemed inevitable that the killer must be either a family member or a servant. After two weeks of inexpert investigation, which solved nothing, the local police petitioned London to send a Scotland Yard detective. The one they got was one of four Detective Inspectors, Jack Whicher, who according to the author was one of the original detectives who essentially invented his craft. His assistant, "Dolly" Williamson, went on to be superintendent of Scotland Yard during the `70s and `80s.
   
   Whicher settled pretty quickly on who he believed was the culprit, but he was unable to obtain a confession and had scant physical evidence. He made an arrest, but the family closed ranks, and ultimately there was no immediate conclusion to the killing. This destroyed Whicher's career. He wound up retiring from the police a few years later, and worked intermittently as a private detective in later years. Eventually he was vindicated, and the case wrapped up, but he was never reinstated.
   
   I enjoyed this book immensely. So much of what the author recounts found its way into detective novels of later years that it's amusing, to say the least. The characters are interesting, and so are their fates. I enjoyed this book immensely, and would recommend it to anyone interested in true crime.



2. Not only is the murder itself a fascinating puzzle but the author weaves into it the history of Victorian detective fiction and the ways in which reality and fiction interacted to create the figure of the modern 'detective'. Ms. Summerscale seems to have read everything and marshals all her scholarship in very readable form.



3. I first heard about the Francis Saville Kent murder from a segment in the 1940s movie Dead of Night. I didn't know it was grounded in reality until I read Victorian Murderesses by Mary Hartman (which I also recommend). The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is well-written, all-encompassing--you get a great feel for the time period, literature, social mores, lifestyles, households, and other crimes--and at some point nail-bite inducing. I highly recommend the book.



4. When I was young I used to read many mystery novels, and a lot of them originated in England. Invariably the murder was soved by the detective getting everyone together and revealing how the murder was done, and "who done it". It seemed that these were the only type of British mysteries being written, and I often wondered how this particular niche of the genre got started. This extremely well-written book has finally answered that question, and also tells an exciting true murder story. We get the origination of the detective in England, and also the origin of some of the words we see all the time in mysteries, such as "clue" or "sleuth". The detective has the facts of the murder, but couldn't prove it, and it destroyed his career in law enforcement. The solution only came several years later, and did not involve any police force. Even when the tale is almost done, the writer leaves us with the feeling that there was at least one other participant in the murder who was never brought to justice. Often life does not imitate art! This is an exciting book, and I highly recommend it.



5. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale is an indepth look at the beginnings of the detective in both police investigation and literature through a single case in England in 1860. A little boy's body is found slashed and thrown into a privy pit on his family's grounds, and everyone is suddenly a suspect. Inspector Jack Whicher is called in from Scotland Yard two weeks after the murder when the local constabulary is unable to come up with the name of the murderer. Whicher uses material evidence and listens closely to the statements of everyone involved to try and unravel the case. But when he arrests the 16 year old half-sister of the victim, the press and locals turn against him. Whicher, who was the inspiration for investigators by both Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens, had developed an excellent reputation for sussing out the truth, but this case essentially destroyed his career, and even the sister's subsequent confession didn't rehabilitate him. The book is excellently researched and written. Summerscale maintains taut suspense throughout and raises several questions about the truth of the confession. She also exposes how the police and detectives were viewed by the public: first as intriguing geniuses, later as nosey, low-class bumblers. Summerscale writes an terrific book about the birth of the detective and traces his early formation in literature and life.

5 comments about Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith.

1. I am serious that the History of the Mormon church is years of material for Saturday Night Live.
   Couple of ideas for skits:
   Joseph Smith (founder of the LDS) is married and after a few years his eyes start wandering, so he tells his wife God has told him to take on more wives. The wife is mad and threatens to take on more husbands, Joe doesn't like that, so he tells his wife that God told him that if a wife takes on another man she will go to hell for ever ! Nice.
   
   The locals don't like Joes unfaithfull ways, and drag him out of his bed, into the woods at night with the plan to castarate him - they even had a doctor along. Once Joe is stripped naked, and spread eagle the doctor can't go thru with it, and instead they beat Joe up badly and then tar and feather him.
   
   Currently, various Fundemnetalist mormon church off shoots all have a leader that claim to be ' the mighty and strong one' - that is the guy who is immortal and will be present during the second coming ( or something like that) - well the followers all flip out when their annoited immortal leader dies.
   
   The book covers a double homicide that took place in 1984. The two brothers that commited the crime are arrested, and after one beats the other one while in the same cell, they are put in adjacent cells. some days pass and one brother tells the other brother that God told him that he needs to kill him. So they discuss the best way to do the killing, and decide to have the one to die back up to the bars while the other one strangles him to death. They then proceed to follow thru the plan.
   
   Mormons might feel picked on by this book, but I see it as a book about religion, and what it does to people. There are Mormons that are completely nuts, just like the 9/11 moslem bombers.
   
   Krakauer writes this book in a similar style to Into the Wild. He mentions a couple other books about the LDS which I plan on reading.



2. I am fascinated with different religious sects and I must admit that the Mormon Church has always seemed to be founded on bizarre circumstances by some questionable characters. This book kept my interest and the history of the founders was interesting and disturbing. I soon became confused with the geneology of the family members of the FLDS in Colorado and Utah. No wonder genealogy is so important to the Mormon's how else could the keep up with their blood lines.
   
   I don't think that it is fair to paint todays LDS members with the same brush as the FLDS and the early "church" which I think the author is attempting to do. Unfortunately, the majority who are good citizens with a strong (admirable) sense of family are tainted by the few whackos who make all the news.



3. This book is a must read for anyone interested in reading a non-biased historical account of the Latter Day Saints. The parallel of events which occurred in the development of Mormanism as compared to the development of Islam are of a striking similarity.
   
   Jon Krakauer is truly an amazing author and story teller.



4. Although I am only 30 pages into this book, which takes place primarily in Arizona, the details of previous raids on FLDS compounds are shockingly similar to what is currently happening in Eldorado, TX--including how the press is presenting this group as being persecuted for their religion when in fact, the FDLS is guilty of heinous crimes against its female members, who are little more than breeding stock. What FLDS members present to the networks and media may not be at all what goes on behind those locked and closed doors. Read this book.



5. I have read a lot of books on Mormonism that this is one of the best. That's because the author choose to wrap the story of Mormonism around some of it's best known and most gripping triumphs, tragedies, atrocities, and scandals.
   
   I listened to the Audiobook and, frankly, I could hardly wait to drive to work so I could get through just another chapter. I can't recommend this book highly enough.
   
   Other Audio Books on Mormonism that I have enjoyed include:
   
   Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith
   
   Secret Ceremonies
   
   Other books on Mormonism that I recommend include:
   
   The Pattern of The Double-Bind in Mormonism
   
   No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith
   
   The Mountain Meadows Massacre
   
   Beyond Mormonism : An Elder's Story
   
   Mormonism, Mama & Me
   
   Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?: The Spalding Enigma
   
   Mormonism 101: Examining the Religion of the Latter-day Saints
   
   Mormonism Unveiled: The Life and Confession of John D. Lee, Including the Life of Brigham Young