The Mormon Murders [Mass Market Paperback]

Steven Naifeh (Author), Gregory White Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2005

On October 15, 1985, two pipe bombs shook the calm of Salt Lake City, Utah, killing two people. The only link-both victims belonged to the Mormon Church. The next day, a third bomb was detonated in the parked car of church-going family man, Mark Hoffman. Incredibly, he survived. It wasn't until authorities questioned the strangely evasive Hoffman that another, more shocking link between the victims emerged...

It was the appearance of an alleged historic document that challenged the very bedrock of Mormon teaching, questioned the legitimacy of its founder, and threatened to disillusion millions of its faithful-unless the Mormon hierarchy buried the evidence.

Drawing on exclusive interviews, The Mormon Murders reconstructs a secret conspiracy of God, greed, and murder that would expose one of the most ingenious con men in the annals of crime-and shake the very foundation of a multibillion-dollar empire to its core.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Cast of characters worthy of the best whodunits."-Houston Chronicle

"Captivating...a fascinating account."-Columbus Dispatch

"Engrossing...a big, absorbing true-crime saga!"-Booklist

"Gripping...a first-class piece of reporting."-Greenwich Times

"The authors' combination of law and journalism provides an excellent foundation for understanding this twisting and legally complex story."-Rocky Mountain News

"Fascinating, sensational revelations...well-researched."-Times Tribune

"A most controversial and rewarding account."-San Francisco Record

"Intriguing...fascinating reading...takes a huge cast of characters and breathes life into them."
-Ogden Standard-Examiner

From the Back Cover

"A FIRST-RATE TRUE CRIME THRILLER AND DETECTIVE STORY OF THE HIGHEST ORDER...THE KIND OF BOOK YOU GRAB EAGERLY AND CAN'T PUT DOWN."
-Detroit Free Press

On October 15, 1985, two pipe bombs shook the calm of Salt Lake City, Utah, killing two people. The only link-both victims belonged to the Mormon Church. The next day, a third bomb was detonated in the parked car of church-going family man, Mark Hoffman. Incredibly, he survived. It wasn't until authorities questioned the strangely evasive Hoffman that another, more shocking link between the victims emerged...

It was the appearance of an alleged historic document that challenged the very bedrock of Mormon teaching, questioned the legitimacy of its founder, and threatened to disillusion millions of its faithful-unless the Mormon hierarchy buried the evidence.

Drawing on exclusive interviews, The Mormon Murders reconstructs a secret conspiracy of God, greed, and murder that would expose one of the most ingenious con men in the annals of crime-and shake the very foundation of a multibillion-dollar empire to its core.

"SENSATIONAL!
-Washington Post

"A REMARKABLE STORY."
-The New York Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (April 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312934106
• ISBN-13: 978-0312934101
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put the book down, July 27, 2005

By 

Philip J. Bohlken (Caldwell, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mormon Murders (Mass Market Paperback)

This book holds the reader's attention in the same way a Tom Clancy novel holds one's attention, but this book tells the true story of three bombings in squeaky clean Salt Lake City in 1985 that resulted in two fatalities. "The Mormon Documents Murders" would have been a more accurate title, though.

The story has at least two levels. The first is that of Mark Hofmann, who made a regular habit of 'unearthing' long-missing documents from early Mormon history. He is the same Mark Hofmann, who as a boy showed a friend how he could make an ordinary silver dime into a rare coin by changing the mint mark with his home electroplating setup. There is enough suspense in the Hofmann subplot to make this book well worth reading.

But, the Hofmann portion of the story could never have happened were it not for persistent fear of the Mormon Church leadership that early Mormon historical documents could discredit the Church in the eyes of the faithful if they were to be found and made public. Hofmann played on this fear by claiming to have located various documents and offering them to the Church leadership at huge sums before someone hostile to the Church might acquire them and publish their contents. The Church leadership sought to get the documents by arranging their purchase through third parties who would then donate them to the Church so that the Church could plausibly deny it possessed the documents. These documents would then be placed into The Vault where they would never again see the light of day.

If this sounds like too much conspiracy theory to spin, the reader should wait until he or she gets to the portion of the book dealing with the investigation and trial of Mark Hofmann. Evidence that Hofmann had killed two people was overwhelming, but the entire legal system began rapidly to lose interest in prosecuting him when it became known that the Mormon Church wanted no part of the publicity that would be generated by all of the disclosures coming out in a trial. Gordon B. Hinckley, then not yet the head of the Mormon Church, simply told the lead detective he was not interested in testifying about his involvement in purchasing documents from Mark Hofmann, and he eventually got away with it! As intriguing as Mark Hofmann's tortured plots are, the glimpses into the Mormon Church and its influence over the media and the legal system in Salt Lake City are equally fascinating.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best true crime books ever written, September 9, 2007

By 

D. Rail "music nut, history buff" (Port Richey, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mormon Murders (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a very detailed story of the infamous Mormon Murders case, wherein a fraudulent dealer in rare documents decided to kill off everyone who might reveal his deceptions.

Delves deeply into the daily routine and hierarchy of the Mormon Church. Does not whitewash anything. Also highlights the mountain of evidence against the murderer. Blends the elements of the criminal case with the culture that surrounds it.

This book will shock people and educate them as well.

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ FOR TRUE CRIME FANS, May 26, 2005

By 

P. A. Lavins (Washington, D. C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mormon Murders (Mass Market Paperback)

Any reader who appreciates the genre of true crime books will want to add this book to their collection. This well-researched book is skillful in telling a murder tale without revealing all of the minute details too soon and lessening your reading enjoyment. Although the murder and trial were recent national events that were chronicled in the media, the story was a new one for me and this enhanced my appreciation of the well laid out drama.