Dixie Miller Goode's exciting review of my controversial new novel, A Mormon Massacre.

Because I had previously read and reviewed one of Joseph Rinaldo's novels, "Hazardous Choices," he offered me a kindle copy of this one to read. I was hesitant, not because I didn't think I would enjoy the book, but because I have a lot of friends who are Mormon and I knew that any favorable review of a book called "A Mormon Massacre" would possibly offend my friends. Still, I loved Mr. Rinaldo's writing and I agreed to read it, but did not promise a review.

This book starts with a well researched, historical massacre of everyone but the very youngest children in a large wagon train, at Mountain Meadows, Utah. This happened as the country was entering the turmoil of the civil war era and ended up not being investigated as completely as it might have at another time in history. The fictional novel itself deals with a young man entering a Mormon group as an inserted "spy" in the modern world. There is a connection to the massacre, but the real story is what is happening deep within the highest, most secret groups in the inner temples of modern Salt Lake City and in an empty barn where a secret army demands blood atonement from heretics and unfaithful women.

I loved the intensity of this novel, and the well written story carried me along so that I avoided a few other books I already had started in favor of finding out what would happen next here. I know my Mormon friends would not love this book, but in all honesty, Mr. Rinaldo creates modern Mormons who are realistic and multi-dimensional. He clearly shows the kindness and concern and humanity of most of the members, while also showing the manipulation and insanity in his villain. Of course his villain, a fictional person, happens to be the head of the Mormon Church. His insanity is complete but it progresses along such a natural path that he pulls his followers along that road much farther than they would have ever expected to go.

What I love most about this novel is the characters within it. Each is so complete and well crafted that it becomes hard to believe they are fictional characters. I had to care about them, and love them or hate them. There was no way to put down this book and stop reading once I had entered its pages.