September 1, 2022
Denton (The Profiteers) examines the tangled web of family, faith, and commerce leading to tragedy on a lonely road in Northern Mexico. Denton, a descendant of early converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (denoted in the audio as Mormons), uses the 2019 massacre of nine people from the towns of La Mora and LeBaron as a starting point for a sprawling exploration of offshoot Mormon history from the 1830s to the present. Impatient true crime purists may balk at the number of seemingly random threads pulled, but they lead in many intriguing directions, from the early settlement of Utah to the modern cartel wars. Stops along the way include the flight to Mexico of fundamentalist families determined to retain polygamy, bloody generational interfamily feuds, and the NXIVM cult. Ann Richardson's gentle voice might seem a strange match for the material, but the experienced narrator knows just when to push her intensity higher. She also has a knack for interpreting the various accents of many times and places without mockery, and for keeping the massive cast of people approachable despite often sharing a small handful of names. VERDICT Recommended for fans of Jon Krakauer's work.--Natalie Marshall
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
March 14, 2022
This intriguing portrait of fundamentalist Mormons in Mexico focuses on the 2019 massacre of three women and six children traveling by caravan on a desolate stretch of road between the states of Sonora and Chihuahua. Investigative journalist Denton (American Massacre), who is a descendant of polygamist Mormons, describes the military-style attack in stark detail and shares evidence from the resulting investigation pointing to a local drug cartel. But the focus is on the history of the LeBaron family, from its 19th-century split with the Mormon church in Salt Lake City and establishment of Colonia LeBaron in northern Mexico, to the brotherly feud that gripped the clan from the 1970s into the 1990s, resulting in dozens of “blood atonement” murders meant to “provide the victim with eternal salvation when his or her blood was spilled into the earth,” and the family’s recent efforts to stop cartel-organized kidnappings in the region. The LeBarons, owners of pecan farms and other resource-heavy enterprises, also engaged in long-standing water rights disputes with their neighbors. Drawing on interviews with former “sister wives,” Denton brings nuance and sensitivity to her discussion of the LeBarons’ polygamist practices and the status of women in the community. The result is a fascinating tale of religion, violence, and family secrets.