Perhaps one of the most painful true crime books I have ever read. Not due to the writing; which is exemplary, but due to the subject, which is horrific.
This is the saga of the Sexton clan, a hellish mix of religion, domination, murder, and multi-generational child abuse. Author Cauffiel takes a complex case which unfolds over a period of decades, with a complicated cast of family members with multiple nicknames, and makes it readable and clear.
In someways this case made me think of "The Family" and "Helter Skelter" since both cases are so complex, but there are other similarities in the heinous misuse of Biblical source material to confirm the patriarch as the undisputed and unquestioned spider at the center of an unholy web of twisted doctrine. There are other similarities, such as the mix of the "I am Jesus/I am the Devil" paradigm that Manson used to make him self the arbiter and wielder of good and evil within his own 'family'.
I am reminded of the Bible verse my grandma used to quote about such people, "They shall mix the lies with the truth, in order to deceive."
This book doesn't shy away from exploring difficult observations in the closing chapters. Just as the Manson family raised the uneasy question, "Could any American child be turned into a killer?", this book asks, among other issues, "Is a child who is isolated and dominated within a family who inculcates them into the belief that incest is biblically accepted be truly considered an abuser & prosecuted when that child commits incest with siblings?"
Take a deep breath before you plunge into this one. It will shake you, and leave you wondering, "Was justice done to these kids?"