The Kirtland massacre cover

The Kirtland massacre

by Cynthia Stalter Sassé

When members of the Reorganized Church of the Latter Day Saints moved into the run-down farmhouse being rented by Jeffrey Lundgren and his family, citizens of the rural community of Kirtland, Ohio, believed that Lundgren had begun a Mormon commune. Little did they realize what really transpired in this seemingly idyllic setting. Co-authored by an assistant prosecutor of the case, this is an incisive look at Jeffrey Lundgren, a self-proclaimed prophet of a deviant death cult, loosely based on the Book of the Mormon, who drove his followers to commit atrocious crimes--including the "blood sacrifice" murder of an innocent family.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?