Jon Krakauer starts off telling an intriguing tale about a bizarre murder that is committed in a sleepy Utah town and is perpetrated by a member of the Mormon faith. Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, instead of telling the story of a twisted mind gone too far, Krakauer falls into a pattern of trying to link the Mormon church's doctrines to the murder, which he does poorly. In his attempt to link the murder and the mainstream Mormon church you quickly catch on that he is simply looking for ways to express his own anti-Mormon bias. If you read this book you may just believe that your Mormon neighbor has a murderous agenda. From the Mormons I have met, this is a ridiculous notion. Bottom line: great for Mormon-bashers; everyone else will find this book perplexing.

Krakauer brings to light the hidden truths behind the Mormon church. He cuts through the garbage and explains the background behind this twisted and disturbing crime. Not your typical true crime story, focusing on the details of the crime, but rather examining the background, belief system, and "brainwashing" that contributed to the murders. Krakauer doesn't place fault, per se, with the Mormon church but presents the mentality of the fundamentalist culture so we understand where they are coming from...which is the most fascinating part! Enjoy this book, it's in a class all it's own.

I'm a big fan of Krakauer's previous books and this one definitely lived up to my expectations. Although this is a bit of a departure from his other books which focus on mountain climbing and the outdoors, Under the Banner of Heaven is just as interesting. Krakauer has clearly done his research and presents a good history of Mormonism in addition to the specific story of murder he recounts. The disturbing portion is the Church of Latter Day Saint's own history and practices, but this also makes for an excellent read. I even enjoyed the appendix which contains a response to the book by a historian of the church of LDS along with Krakauer's response.