Review
". . .an exciting page-turner in the tradition of The Da Vinci Code, one that will be relished by fans of suspense thrillers. . .a hell of a ride. . .The pace is quick, the characters compelling, the stakes high. I enjoyed this novel immensely." -M. Calvani, Seattle Post Intelligencer, Blogcritics.com
". . .if you still want to read (Dan Brown's) The Solomon Key, his book that was supposed to be about Mormonism. . .The Moroni Deception is your chance. . .it's as well-written as Dan Brown at his best. . .Brody did his homework. Virtually nothing he writes about LDS and FLDS culture is invented. . .If you want to see Mormonism "nekkid," this is your chance." -M. McAllister, Amazon.com review
"If fun is what you crave, continue. Snappy suspense. . .and there's never a dull moment."-R. Neufeld, Asheville Citizen Times
". . .excellent. . .a tightly written thriller." -E. Tan, "Inside The Mind of a Bibliophile"
"Loved this book. . .some intrigue, both political and religious, a smattering of romance, and a couple of murders that needed solving. . .I read it quickly because the chapters were short and propelled the reader into the next one. Many times I said, "just one more" before forcing myself to lay it down and go to sleep. . .and I was delighted from page one to the very last. I remarked for two days after about how much I enjoyed this book." -L. McKay, Goodreads giveaway winner (Voted Top 150 in Goodread's Best Thrillers and Top 30 in Best Conspiracy Fiction)
From the Author
To those of you who decide to give The Moroni Deception a read, I truly hope you enjoy it. If you are, however, thinking of passing (perhaps because of the current Amazon rating), I would just like to point out that the vast majority of the sometimes very negative reviews appear to largely be from unhappy readers affiliated in some manner with the Mormon/LDS faith. What these readers are unhappy about or don't want you to learn about their secretive and fascinating religion, I'm not exactly sure, because the complaints have generally not been very specific, other than to claim that it's a "travesty" and filled with "incidents that have no truth in reality." Based upon my year of research to best ensure accuracy with regards to the historical aspects of my novel, I would, of course, beg to differ.
The only references woven into the fictional narrative that I can even imagine some of these readers are unhappy about were, in fact, based upon historical record. The fact that there was a secret band of vigilante assassins know as the "Danites," that there was such a thing as "The White Horse Prophecy," and that there was an incident that took place, now commonly referred to as "The Mountain Meadows Massacre," cannot be contested, nor the many rather unbelievable things that have and continue to take place in several of the remaining FLDS polygamous communities on which the novel is mostly focused. Very likely what a good many of these reviewers are upset about (possibly because it's the first time many have ever heard of it), is the revelation of several little-known but actual events that took place in the early life of their religion's founder and first prophet, Joseph Smith. While rather shocking, it was important to include in the novel.
The only other thing I would add is that from the beginning my intent was never to offend anyone, but just to tell the best story I could by incorporating actual events from Mormon history as part of the historical backdrop of my conspiracy thriller (which is, as some of my critics have correctly pointed out, indeed, just fiction). With that said, I hope you'll sit back, relax, and enjoy the fun and hopefully informative read that it was intended to be. -JB
From the Back Cover
Michael Chenault, award-winning investigative journalist with the New York Times, is rousted in the middle of the night by NYPD detectives and accused of the bizarre murder of a complete stranger. After clearing himself, Chenault finds that Martin Koplanski, the retired history professor he'd been accused of murdering, was likely killed for a mysterious Mormon relic long thought to be just a myth. Twenty-four hours later, Chenault receives an email with a photo of the recently murdered wife of Presidential candidate, Brockston Ratchford. She too appears to have been ritually killed in the exact manner as Koplanski, right down to having the same cryptic character scrawled in blood across her forehead. With way more than just a hunch to now go on, Chenault heads out to Salt Lake City, the site of the Ratchford murder investigation, to find out what, if any, connection there is between the murders.
With the help of a beautiful young reporter he meets along the way, Chenault comes to learn the dark family secrets of a rising political star, along with the rather strange but true history of the Mormon church. As he pieces the story together of what appears to be an ever-growing conspiracy, Chenault is pursued by The Brothers, two murderous zealots who will stop at nothing to retrieve the Mormon relic Chenault is also trying to find. What Chenault eventually discovers is that what he's uncovered may not only affect the outcome of the next Presidential election, but decide the fate of an entire religion-if he can manage to stay alive.
About the Author
Jack Brody is a writer, ex-military, and an avid traveler. After his Army stint and then deciding to pass on law school, he went to film school, wrote screenplays, and held a number of jobs which ran from everything to working for a newspaper for a day, to film production, to then going into real estate (with at least five others along the way). He's fascinated by history, politics, and architecture, all of which play a part in his novels (a second one is currently in the works featuring reporter Michael Chenault). Brody adds, "I was originally inspired by Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven, so much so, that I undertook almost a year of research in preparation for the novel. So far, I've heard or read a number of readers describe my conspiracy thriller as a sort of "Mormon Da Vinci Code," although I really think of it as being much more comparable to one of Stieg Larsson's novels as its protagonist, an investigative journalist, delves into the dark family history of a rising political star. I think The Moroni Deception also harkens back to some of the "old school" detective novels like The Maltese Falcon, along with a little Holmesian deductive sleuthing thrown in for good measure."
