Customer Reviews

Killer Cults: Shocking True Stories of the Most Dangerous Cults In History

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This book is just what the title of my book review suggests, a sample of various cults in recent history. While the book is good at giving basic information about the cults, it lacks the details true crimes fans like myself enjoy.

James J. Boyle discusses 11 recent cults in his book. These groups include: Charles Manson and his family, Jim Jones, Gordon Kahl and his militia, Hare Krisna leader Kirtanananda Swami Bhakipada, John Africa and MOVE, Jeffery Lundgren and his Mormon movement, Mexico's El Padrino, Yahweh Ben Yahweh, Roch Theriault and his experimental surgeries of live members of his group, David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, and the environmentalist group known as "cirlcle of fire". In his synopsis of each of these groups he does give some good information. Some of the information I had not read in other sources. For example, the book states Charles Manson's favorite pick up line. This is not mentioned in "Helter Skelter". Nor is it mentioned in the book "Helter Skelter" that "Helter Skelter", the Beatles songs was named for a roller coaster in England. However, examples of these types of details are few and far between. Having never heard of El Padrino, I found it particularly interesting. Boyle sites books which give a more detailed accounts of each of the cults. This can add to your research in any particular story interests you. The few pictures also add to the presentation.

This book sets out to give the reader a sample of cults. It is successful in doing this. More interested readers will be able to find more detailed accounts of each story in the original sources.

The book was a little lean on details concerning the various beliefs and teachings of the cults. Other than that, it was a pretty interesting read. I don't feel I wasted my money on this book.

This isn't the kind of book likely to get a scholar's respect. It's the type found in grocery stores next to books on UFO's and holistic medicine. With its glossy cover and shocking chapter titles, it can be dismissed as sensationalist, full of inaccuracies and fabricated dialogue.

But I actually liked this one. Sure, it lacks the professional writing style of other works, but then it captures the madness in a way those often fail to do. In the end, killer cults are just that-madness. All of the groups from the latter part of the last century to the 90's are included, beginning with Manson and including MOVE, the Branch Davidians and Jeffrey Lundgren. The last chapter is on the infamous Solar Temple of 1994, so Heaven's Gate fans will have to look elsewhere.

The greatest weakness here is the failure to follow up on any of these stories. Boyle tells us what happened and then..well time for the next chapter. But perhaps that is what we should expect from this kind of book.

If you don't take very word as "Gospel".. Take it for what it is. A "Paperback Book" that tries to cover "Cults". Well that is what it is.

There is a lot of "SHOCK" thrown in along with the same "Shocking" writing style.

Each account in this book deserves BOOKS written. Not simple headlines and writers "Fill".

This book was to detailed about the early years of
the leaders of the cults and not detailed enough
about the actual details of the cults itself.
It left me wanting to know more....