The Kirtland Massacre: The True and Terrible Story of the Mormon Cult Murders [Hardcover]

Cynthia Stalter Sasse (Author), Peggy Murphy Widder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 1991

An account of the crimes of Jeffrey Lundgren and his family describes how Lundgren lured followers from the established Latter Day Saints and indoctrinated them into a religious cult practicing violence, sexual humiliation, and murder. Reprint.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This absorbing story of religion gone wrong tells of the splinter cult of Mormons who killed a family of five in 1989. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Those who do not follow a cult or believe in sadistic prophets may find it difficult to understand how over a dozen educated, seemingly decent people were able to assist in the murders of Dennis and Cheryl Avery and their three children in Kirtland, Ohio. However, Sasse who prosecuted the perpetrators, and Widder make a strong attempt to explain how Jeffrey Lundgren gathered his followers in a bizarre Mormon commune, isolated from society. After the murders, Lundgren and his group went up into the mountains, where the women humiliated themselves by dancing naked for him while he masturbated into their underwear. With the discovery of the decomposing bodies, the faithful pointed without hesitation to Lundgren. None of those who bound the victims or stood lookout or ran the chainsaw to cover the noise of the shots felt any blame for the murders. This study in cult mentality and abdication of responsibility is a useful addition to true crime collections.
- Lois Walker, Winthrop Coll. Lib., Rock Hill, S.C.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 302 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; 1ST edition (September 4, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556113099
• ISBN-13: 978-1556113093
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #322,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Needs an editor, February 22, 2010

By 

Lucy "cereta" (Champaign, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kirtland Massacre: The True and Terrible Story of the Mormon Cult Murders (Mass Market Paperback)

This is really a shockingly poorly written book. There are grammar errors throughout, and it is stylistically uneven. The writer will randomly jump time perspectives (mentioning where one person is today, but not another). It's a fascinating story, but the writer was not up to the task.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Having grown up in Kirtland, Ohio, September 8, 2006

By 

H. Coleman "Book Worm" (WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kirtland Massacre: The True and Terrible Story of the Mormon Cult Murders (Mass Market Paperback)

I thought the book was very well written but I will agree it was a little slow getting into it. I lived 2 streets over from the "infamous" barn and pass by it all the time. Having read the book was a little odd at first because they would talk about something in Kirtland and I would know exactly what they were talking about. It's a good read but you can tell it was written from the prosecuter's side. If you want something factual, you would be better off reading about it online.

5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Needs a rewrite., January 27, 2003

By 

Tanya C. Radic (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kirtland Massacre: The True and Terrible Story of the Mormon Cult Murders (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a book with " way too much meat" in a sandwich bag.
It is informative but the paragraphs have so many descriptions of so many people it's hard to keep " who's who straight".

And it was all written in the past tense with not much real action or suspense. ( You know what's going to happen..and after you figure out who's going to do the killing...why should one keep reading?)

I would like to tell the author ...You have a very good story to tell... it should be read by more people....I know you are enthusiastic about the subject. Just slow down and go back and rewrite this book. I'm sure then you'll have a BEST SELLER.

Tanya Radic