.
John R. Llewellyn has appeared on Larry
King Live, ABC Primetime, The Today Show
with Matt Lauer
& Katie Couric; NBC Nightly News with Tom
Brokaw; Fox News Channel's "The Edge" with Paula Zahn; MSNBC; Inside Edition; Good Morning America,
& is contacted frequently by local and foreign press.
MURDER OF A PROPHET–
THE DARK SIDE OF UTAH POLYGAMY
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Click Cover for larger image
By John R. Llewellyn
Read First Chapter
List Price $13.95
Copyright - February 2000 Soft Cover 5.5 x 8.5 192p
Agreka™ Books ISBN 1-888106-93-X LC 99-068880
Book Description About The Author Afterword by Anthropologist
Reviews
Salt Lake Tribune, Greg Burton—Mar. 23 2000
John R Llewellen looks every bit the
part he plays in real life: father, retired cop and storyteller, a tweed-coated
66-year-old brimming with the miscellany of crime and impropriety in Utah. He is
a character in many of the tales he tells—stories
drawn from his days as a sheriff's detective. So it is a bit surprising that his
first book is not "real," but a fictionalized drama of doomsday
polygamists and that Llewellyn is nowhere to be found on the 180 or so
pages.
Or is he?
Murder of a Prophet: The Dark Side of Utah Polygamy—published
last month by Agreka Books of Sandy—has angered some of the region's
polygamists. Leaders in Colorado City, Ariz., and Hilldale, Utah—where the
old-time Mormon tenent of "celestial" or plural marriage
prevails—have reportedly banned the book.
Elsewhere, the story, a chronicle of a violent plot to unite
all polygamists and topple the Mormon Church, has drawn praise for its
true-to-life portrayal of the social fabric of Utah's religious subculture.
"I kept looking at the women and the girls he writes
about and how real they are," says Rowena Erickson, a former polygamous
wife who fled Utah's Kingston clan and later helped form a support group called
Tapestry of Polygamy. "He knows the life."
Llewellyn is everything he purports to be and more. . .
."
From Rob Williams--Former U.S. Secret
Service and Border Patrol Agent
Murder of a Prophet' is a true-to-life scenario.
Llewellyn's investigative background well qualified him to write this book. As a
former U.S. Federal Agent, I found his book spellbinding, accurate, and
entertaining.
From David R. Bishop--Captain (Retired) Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office
Mr. Llewellyn's
investigative background makes him uniquely qualified to catch the real flavor
of the dark side of Mormon polygamist cults. An excellent read for anyone
wishing to explore this world.
From Janet Bennion, Ph.D.,
Anthropologist
and Author of Women of Principle: Female Networking in Contemporary Mormon
Polygyny. Oxford University Press.
Lifestyle choices are becoming a public
issue. This fact-based novel is an excellent depiction of both sides of
polygamy.
Both sides of polygamy must be
addressed. As an anthropologist, I have often presented the positive sides to
plural marriage. Llewellyn, using actual incidents from polygamy’s history,
creatively presents many of the negative sides. His fiction novel reflects the
complexities and vastly diverse experiences inherent in contemporary Mormon
fundamentalism.
From Carolyn Campbell, Author of "Together Again:
True Stories of Birth Parents & Adopted Children Reunited
The characterizations
shine with insight, authenticity, and humor. The plot is engaging and
intriguing.
Top
A riveting story of intrigue, murder, and sex. Lusting
for worldwide power and recognition, the fanatical leader of a Utah polygamist
cult launches a plan to become "the prophet" of all the polygamist
cults—and then to take over the entire Mormon Church. Detectives fear a
doomsday Waco-type standoff with women and children. Investigator John Llewellyn,
polygamy expert, creates a fascinating tale of fiction based on real-life
events.
As the drama unfolds, the personal background stories
of individuals portray a realistic portrait of—
•Easy manipulation of deeply faithful people taught
unquestioning obedience by unscrupulous leaders.
•Depictions of the negative social and genetic effects
of many polygamous cults.
•Vibrant, playful little girls often devolving into
lifeless, emotionless women.
•Occasional men, sexually intimidated by mature women,
and having absolute control over their children, fall into pedophilic behavior
as they train girls "when they are still young" to become a pleasing
wife to the husband.
•While claiming polygamy is simply a mandate by God to
raise up a righteous progeny, and that men are being "holy" as they
fulfill this directive to qualify for Celestial Glory, two polygamist leaders
lustfully pursue a beautiful new woman convert, each wanting her as wife.
Investigator John R. Llewellyn was a deputy sheriff for
twenty-three years in the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office. Considered an
expert, he spent a number of years in prolonged investigation of polygamy cults.
He was often placed on loan to do special investigations for the
County Attorney, District Attorney, and Attorney General.
Conducting the preliminary investigation of mass
murderer Ervil LeBaron, who was convicted of ordering the murder of Dr. Rulon C.
Allred in 1977, Deputy Llewellyn complied an extensive intelligence profile of
the infamous polygamist. He also assisted French, British, and local television
companies—all wanting to film documentaries—make contact with appropriate
members of polygamist groups. Mr. Llewellyn writes feature articles on the
subject for newspapers and magazines.
The author pioneered the Morals Squad of the Sheriff
Department, which handled the investigation of polygamous complaints. He also
wrote a sex crimes manual for the Utah State Police Academy, where he taught Sex
Crime Investigation, Interview, and Interrogation.
Mr. Llewellyn was so impressed with Mormon
Fundamentalism that he became a polygamist for a time, then discovered
widespread abuse of power among the leadership.
He is currently the lead investigator in two
highly publicized lawsuits against Utah polygamist groups.
Note: Any similarity between the fictional characters
and actual people is coincidental. All names have been changed.
Read more about
John Llewellyn.
Both sides of polygamy must be
addressed. As an anthropologist, I have often presented the positive sides to
plural marriage. Llewellyn, using actual incidents from polygamy’s
history, creatively presents many of the negative sides. His fiction novel
reflects the complexities and vastly diverse experiences inherent in
contemporary Mormon fundamentalism.
The media has created a climate
of horror and mayhem surrounding polygamy. Stories of child sexual abuse,
kidnaping, wife beating, brainwashing, abhorrent living conditions, and murder
are just a few of the many sensational headlines one can see any day of the week
in the Utah and national press. Yes, abuses occur in polygamy just as they do in
monogamy. But there is another side to polygamy equally compelling.
To provide a balance to reports
in the media, I present an alternative view. After 10 years of observing
polygamy in the Intermountain States region, and studying the female experience
in detail, I find there are women, although not the majority, who find solace
and comfort in the lifestyle. Many are drawn to polygamy because it improves the
socioeconomic status for themselves and their children. It provides them
opportunity to form strong, lasting bonds with other women. For the independent
woman, in many cases, it provides respite from the continual, day-in-and-day-out
constant dependence on a husband. For the woman who is a team player, it provides
solidarity and group cohesion with other co-wives. In short, my studies have
shown that polygamy is a viable alternative to the difficulties of single
motherhood, spinsterhood, poverty, alienation, and emotional deprivation.
Polygamy is much more difficult
for men, who must travel from house to house and task to task, than it is for
women, who can share their labors with other women, find time to go to school,
seek a career, and have a family. Men must fiercely compete for financial
resources and, in the process, often alienate their own sons and other men in
the system. They must donate all their resources to the group, defer to the
patriarchal council in all things, and struggle to meet the needs of their
various families.
Mormon-based polygamy is the
most common form of polygamy in North America; however, there are a number of
Christian-based groups in Utah and the Intermountain region that are gaining in
popularity.
Janet Bennion, Ph.D., Anthropologist
and Author of Women of Principle: Female Networking in Contemporary Mormon
Polygyny. Oxford University Press. For more information on
her book, see amazon.com.
1. The Salt Lake Tribune has an online newspaper and
has many polygamy articles archived.
http://www.sltrib.com
An article appeared
December 19, 1999, in Utah/World Section, discussing the approaching Millennium. One paragraph: Rumors of apocalyptic
upheavals have swirled around Harmston's church since it opened five years
ago..."He teaches the first thing that will happen is HE will get THE
power," reports a former member, "then he and his apostles...will go
out and destroy people."
2. Tapestry Against Polygamy is an organization in Salt Lake
City that offers help to women who wish to leave polygamy.
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