A Gathering of Saints: A True Story of Money, Murder and Deceit

by Robert Lindsey

As he proved in The Falcon & the Snowman, Robert Lindsey is a masterful journalist with a genius for suspense & an unerring eye for provocative stories. A Gathering of Saints is an astonishing report on one of this century's most puzzling, cunningly executed crimes. 16 pages of photos.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Crime, Religion, Mormonism, Mystery

400 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 1988

About the author

Robert Lindsey (born 1935) is a journalist and author of several true crime books, including The Falcon and the Snowman: A True Story of Friendship and Espionage (1980), the story of Christopher John Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee, who were both convicted of selling information to the Soviets. The Flight of the Falcon: The True Story of the Escape and Manhunt for America's Most Wanted Spy (1983) followed, a chronology of Christopher Boyce's escape from Federal prison and subsequent bank robbing spree.

In 1980 he received the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best non-fiction crime book for "The Falcon and the Snowman." He won the 1989 CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction for A Gathering of Saints: a true story of money, murder and deceit.

Lindsey worked as a reporter and editor at the San Jose Mercury-News and The New York Times, and also served as the Los Angeles bureau chief for The New York Times.

Marlon Brando and Ronald Reagan used Lindsey's assistance when writing their autobiographies, respectively, Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me, and "Ronald Reagan: An American Life." Lindsey's memoir, Ghost Scribbler," was published in 2013.

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I Came To Read This Book: Back when the OIympics were held in Salt Lake City, my mom thought it'd be a good time for me to learn about Utah's relationship with the Mormon religion / culture. And thus, she gave me this book.

The Plot: This is a book that unveils the history of Mormonism (and a shaky one at that) combined with a fascinating true life murder / terrorist mystery, when several seemingly randomly selected people are the victims of bomb attacks. The story then threads together the history of Mormonism with a historical artifacts collector named Mark Hoffman, who finds shady documents linked to Mormon history and sells them back to the church to keep them quiet.

The Good & The Bad: This is a great piece of nonfiction writing - definitely a book where it's amazing to read it's true! The total insanity of the Mormon religion (at least in how it's outlined here) makes it almost as laughable as Scientology, and really sheds light on this bizarre faction of society. Also, the unwinding mystery of who launched the bomb attacks - and what on earth they have to do with Mormon history and religion (and Mark Hoffman's blackmailing of the church) makes for a surprising page turner.

The Bottom Line: A nonfiction book that's so insane, it's unbelievable.

Anything Memorable: Just the link between me reading this book around the Salt Lake City Olympics.

50-Book Challenge?: Nope.

[jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

loveeee my mormon lore

“who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past”

watch the netflix documentary: murder among the mormons

[Teri Uktena · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing style of the time was to include the origin story of every...single...person they thought should be part of the narrative. And each of these is written in the purple prose style of, "It was a dark and stormy night...". These usually come before we know or care how this person relates to the events at all, which ends up being fairly tangentially, and it's all chaff which in the end takes away and confuses the relevant facts which are meant to create a cohesive narrative. At least that would be the goal.

So basically this is difficult to read at best and I didn't find it worth the effort since there are other books about the subject and now a Netflix special.

[Jack Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely paced and pretty exhaustive -- the research is well-done. I've been obsessed with this story for years since a few tendrils of the story cast a shadow on my own life: my aunt and uncle were friends and business partners with both of the bomb victims, and as fate would have it, my family was living with my aunt and uncle during the bombings as we prepared to move to Arkansas. News helicopters and bomb squads were sent to our home. I was a mere 2.5 years old so I don't have a firsthand memory of it myself. Mark Hofmann was a twisted genius and the whole story is mind-boggling.

[Chamie]

couldn't get into this book..

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I pick this book off the shelf as I'm looking for something for a trip and on the cover I see big red "A Gathering of Saints" in gothic like letters, a picture of a home-made dynamite type bomb with an old watch thing on it (which btw was a lie - was all pipe bombs), a plug "Wonderfully Suspenseful....A Terrific Read!" and "story of Murder, Money and Deceit". Seems like a good fast thiller type. Start the book and in the first 10 pages or so, all prologue and set in the mid-80's, we get bombs going off, people getting killed, cops getting started on investigations with interesting backgrounds all with a religious tie in I'm not 100% sure of in terms of how it fits in - but yea, I'm digging it.

Then I got to Chapter 1....and it's 1840's and a little backstory on the Mormon faith....which is going real deep. After about 5 pages I'm thinking "I got it - lets get back to the bombs and stuff" and around page 8 I look at the cover again - seems I missed the "A True Story..." part of all this. So accidentally I'm now 20 or so pages into a true crime book that I really wasn't planning on reading. But hey, I'm hooked a bit so let's go.

If one was Mormon or had interest in their history, or was a big fan of old document dealings, this is a 5 star, get an autographed copy sort of book. The 120 or so pages on trading of documents and inner-workings of the Church's politics were a bit dry to me, but definitely were necessary to the wrap up so can't penalize too much. The story, which I'm guessing was huge around the country when I was 15 and paying attention to concerts and Michael Jordan, not pipe bombs in Utah, is pretty fascinating in all kinds of ways - you have a killer who comes off as weirdly both semi-sympathetic and right up there with the worst serial killers in his sociopathic ways. Victims who really were pretty innocent, including a woman who really was the definition of wrong place, wrong time (wrong husband) and a church / police tie-in that continues the obvious "separation of church and state is a necessity" theme that should always be remembered. The conclusion was both a terrific wrap up and somewhat unfulfilling in it's lack of novelistic drama as more just a study in individual human drama at it's worst than anything.

So recommend highly if true crime and details of backstories/lives are your thing, but if 100 pages examining possible forged documents is a bit much, may want to take a pass.

[Xavier Kabwere · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t know about this story about Salt Lake. Well written and is almost a mystery but could never get super into it.

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about Mormon hypocrisy. I've read "Under the Banner of Heaven" and all the books written by plural wives and lost boys that lived under Warren Jeff's insane regime. This book is another great read if one is interested in that subject. It is about a Mormon document dealer who forged supposedly bombshell letters and scripts in order to embarrass the church. The Mormon hierarchy went through all kinds of gymnastics to purchase and bury these controversial documents. One quote from the leader of the church, 'just becuase something is true does not mean it needs to be broadcast.' Oh really?

The only quibble I have with this book is that it described one of the prosecutors in the Hofmann case as having prosecuted "serial killer Ted Bundy." Making it sound like this guy nailed Bundy for being a serial killer. When in fact, in Utah, Bundy was only convicted of (relatively) minor kidnapping charge and due to serve 2 to 15 years for the crime. Then Utah allowed him to be extradicted to Colorado where Bundy escaped twice to kill more. So knowing this little tidbit it makes me wonder what other details were hyperbole.

There is also an episode of American Justice based on this case. Check it out if you can't get your hands on this title.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife's aunt married a Mormon elder, a bishop, a professor at Northwestern, and he persistently tried to convert me, emphasizing the socialistic practices of his community. It didn't work, but it did pique my interest in the faith.

One of the many books I read about Mormonism was this exposition of what had been items in the press during the eighties. The background, something I hadn't known, was that in fact there were two Mormon churches surviving from the days of Joe Smith's murder, a third located in Michigan having died out. The Utah branch, the biggest and most successful, exists in competition with a smaller midwestern branch located in and around Missouri, the church adjudicated as the authentic one during property disputes between factions after the murder and the one Joe Smith's wife belonged to. The story of the Mormon murders is basically about the competition between these sects, the dubious history of the early church and the way these factors were exploited by unscrupulous antiquities dealers. It reads well and is packed with information and scandalous secrets.

[Michael Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A Gathering of Saints: A True Story of Money, Murder and Deceit” by Robert Lindsey is a great book. It keeps you on the edge of your seat as you follow all the principle players till the resolution. This is the third book by the author of “The Falcon and the Snowman.”

This story is the true story of Mark Hofmann and the forgeries and bombs he set off to cover his tracks. This would make a great movie. This book is not a case for or against Mormonism but more about the attempts of one man to profit from certain people’s fear of the possible past and his desire to cash in on it. If you are into true life mysteries I highly recommend this book to you.

[Kaly Harward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in advance of the Netflix series about Hofmann. I remember adults around my mostly childless world talking about Hofmann a lot as this was happening. The Netflix series was great nostalgia seeing the videos, but reading this well written, meticulously detailed account of the story sure shows a much deeper story than the show.

Excellent read, will be looking at Lindsey’s other works. The moral of this story is a big one, everyone lies to serve their own self interest from conman to church leader and everyone in between.

[Rodger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Hoffman totally fooled almost everybody with his forgeries. As his greediness began to close in on him he set off three bombs in Salt Lake City. Another writer wrote of the incident as the Mormon Murders.

Hoffman was selling the forgeries to the LDS church who bought them to keep their history hidden. Hoffman was a deceiver, but the easiest people to deceive are other deceivers.

I thought this book was more comprehensive than The Mormon Murders.

[Brian Durfee · Rating 5 out of 5]

#46 A GATHERING AF SAINTS: A True Story Of Money, Murder, and Deceit by Robert Lindsey. Durfee's top 50 non-fiction books countdown. The riveting account of master forger and bungling car bomber Mark Hofmann. I asked one of the lead investigators in the case which (of the 3 books written about Hofmann) was the most fair and accurate. He chose GATHERING OF SAINTS over THE SALAMANDER LETTER and THE MORMON MURDERS

[Mike Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read. I remember living through the bombings and press releases. All the talk of old documents and the salamander letter being discovered was absorbing, but even more so to learn they were all forgeries. This unbiased view written by a non member holds no punches and makes no effort to protect any party, including the church and its leaders, from looking bad. Over time, the impact has faded, but this look back more than 30 years ago is engrossing.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much information about the Mormon church, too many documents that may or may not be true, and way too many ancient document dealers vying for these documents. Greed seems to be the driving force on the evil deeds that take place.

[Jill Crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of "The Mormon Forgery Murders" books; well-organized and very readable.

[Adrian Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding account of the Hoffman murders back in the early 80's.

[Kenya Starflight · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a former Mormon, I find myself drawn to some of the controversies surrounding the LDS church. The "Salamander murders," in which rare-document dealer Mark Hoffman killed two people and blackmailed the church, may seem relatively minor compared to some of the other controversies... but it's a fascinating story all the same. And A Gathering of Saints tells an in-depth and fascinating story about the church, the crime, and the tangled aftermath.

Mark Hoffman was, on the surface, a faithful Mormon -- a returned missionary whose family assumed he'd become a leader in the faith someday. But Mark had a knack for finding rare and controversial documents that revealed some of the LDS church's darker secrets... and he would let the church have these documents for a price, so they could ensure they never saw the light of day. When bombs went off in Salt Lake City, injuring Mark and killing both one of the men financing his deals and the wife of a second, at first people wondered if it was some kind of complex religious plot. But the truth was far stranger... and Mark would go from victim to suspect rapidly once his secrets came to light.

Robert Lindsey does a great job of giving readers background about not only the key players in this drama, but the LDS church and Salt Lake City itself. And he pulls no punches -- instead of giving the sanitized history the LDS church prefers, he acknowledges how much the church likes to alter its own history to be more appealing to its members, and hides the truth in the interest of protecting its own image. And it's this secretive nature that made them all the more vulnerable to blackmail and exploitation.

There are times that this book gets a little bogged down in its own details. But it remains readable and fascinating. The lengths Mark went to in order to scam people -- and how his games ended up falling apart on him -- are mind-boggling... and his decision to resort to murder heartbreaking. And it's absolutely wild seeing certain names brought up in connection to this scandal knowing those same people later became high-ranking leaders of the church (Gordon B. Hinkley, Dallin H. Oaks, etc.).

If you watched the Murder Among Mormons documentary and want more background, this book is a great place to start. I suppose I should also read Salamander: The Story of the Mormon Forgery Murders with a New Afterword at some point...

[Granny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Gathering of Saints by Robert Lindsey

I want to recommend this book to anyone who wants to look at the hidden side of Mormon foundations: the treasure-seeking, the witchcraft, the imperative to record their history (or at least the parts of that history the greater church *wants* recorded).

Although this a true crime book; and a very good one at that, to me the most interesting part is the thumbnail history of the church and its foundations, and how a young man (Mark Hofmann) who lost his faith managed to hide that from the people around him and to use his knowledge of LDS history and culture to try to destroy the church from within.

He took the tenets of what he had been taught since childhood; along with his adult awareness of knew of the LDS "dark side", to extort the church financially and to punish the officers of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve. These are the two highest governing bodies of the LDS church.

In his apostasy he shook the faith of many ordinary people of the LDS community, killed two other people, ruined the financial well-being of several of his "brethren", maimed himself, and imperiled the future of the LDS church by holding it up to ridicule and suspicion around the world. Kah-boom!!

Of course I don't advocate murder. But if you want to do a quick dive into a deeper understanding of the LDS church, this book will give you an excellent leg up. And if you care to read further, it can give you some insight into a diabolical and brilliant mind.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pioneer Book: topic of interest to a friend
What an interesting book. It got me into some fascinating history that I knew nothing about previously. The first part and the last part went really quickly and were easy to read. This entire middle was very long and confusing, with a ton of names to keep track of, but I suppose this was parallel to the investigation if Mark Hofmann himself. Overall it was fun to read about some history where the people are still living around my area.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book at a second hand book sale, so had no idea what to expect. It was extremely well researched and, considering the monumental amount of information covered and incredible degree of complex knowledge required to collate all those facts, it still held my interest and was an extraordinarily "readable" book.

[Robert A · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author could have cut 100 pages out by not putting every single detail of every letter. The history of the church was good but I kept thinking while reading and reading..."Is there a point to all of this" It took forever to get to the meat of the story.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry. I just couldn’t finish this one. It just wasn’t for me.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

True account of the history & beliefs of the Mormon church and a scandal in the 1980's involving forgery & murder. Interesting but sometimes tedious.

[Dannika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book about a fascinating man and events. Well written and thoroughly researched. Loved it.

[Dixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind-blowing

[Nancy Green · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Mike Sigler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story but too much detail and not enough narrative thread. You learn right away a bombing occurred and learn whodunit at the close, but especially the first half moves too slowly

[Steven Vollmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story so gripping it feels like a Dan Brown novel.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I reviewed this book & some one removed it. Why am I not surprised?