The False Prophet

by Claire Booth

The true story of conspiracy, extortion, and murder in the name of God. In the summer of 2000, Taylor Helzer was convinced he was chosen to usher in the second coming of Jesus Christ-by any means necessary. This is the story of his unholy reign of terror and how the police took the self-proclaimed prophet down. Includes photographs.

Genres: True Crime

288 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Claire Booth is a journalist and author who has written about crime for decades. She’s covered everything from the theft of the Aston Martin used in the James Bond film Goldfinger to the Laci Peterson murder and the San Francisco dog mauling case, where two lawyers were convicted of killing their neighbor with vicious dogs they kept for an imprisoned friend.

She also covered the case of Taylor Helzer, a Northern California man who convinced two followers he was a prophet of God. In order to raise money for their end-of-days scheme, the group extorted money from a retired couple and then killed them and three others to cover their tracks. The tremendously complicated quintuple murder case is the basis for her first book, the non-fiction The False Prophet: Conspiracy, Extortion and Murder in the Name of God.

After living with that case for so long, Claire decided she’d had enough of the real world and turned to fiction. Her first novel, The Branson Beauty, features county sheriff Hank Worth. The second in the series is Another Man’s Ground and the third, A Deadly Turn, comes out March 1, 2019.

Reviews

[Kassi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an amazingly well organized true crime story about a small cult leader and the horrible crimes he committed. I appreciated the matter-of-fact way the author presented information, the way the author was able to convey facts without being partial to either the perp(s) or the victims. This book should appeal to anyone interested in cult mentality or psychological brainwashing as well as someone interested in psychological case studies of the cult-leader type.

The only reason I gave it the vote that I did and not a 5-star is that I did find the writing lacking at times and the very end, after being so objective, through me a curve ball as it became biased towards a philosophy that I do not believe in personally, which left a bad taste in my mouth. I think had the ending been presented as factually as the rest of the story this book would have gotten a 4/5 review.

Be warned, that due to the nature of the crimes committed, this book may be triggering for those with a weak stomach.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because I remembered the case in the news...and it held my interest and I did not want to put it down...I would recommend it for people who do not mind very detailed accounts of a true story of murder....

[Koren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting from beginning to end. The criminal starts out as a clean cut, All-American Mormon boy and for some reason went into a deep, dark abyss of mental illness that led to the deaths of several people. The investigation and courtroom is nicely condensed and not repetitive. I felt like i got to know the victims and was sorry for what they had to go through.

[Kenneth Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a lot of info, delving into what this murderer was up to. And it holds ones attention. Actually ran into the three of them right before their killing spree, and yeah; they were filled with darkness. Haven't read the other book on them by Scott - but I will.

[Molly Fore · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the name of religion

Fascinating story. This is what happens when mental illness and religious beliefs combine. Well put together story by the author.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere in this book someone says, to paraphrase, "these suspects are idiots." A truer phrase could not have been uttered. No forethought, no real planning, it was incredible that the group was able to commit the crimes they did without injuring themselves. Ms. Booth's book gives a detailed step by step recounting of what lead Taylor Helzer to believe he should and could extort money and take over the Mormon church.

I read the original paperback, published in 2008. The book was republished in 2019. According to the author the newer version is unchanged with the exception of a short update regarding one of the suspects.

[Brandon Swarrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire Booth did a very nice job delivering this strange but true story of the disturbing Helzer crimes. The book is very well written, with incredible background of the murderers as well as their victims. It kept me engaged.

The last few chapters got pretty boring though, and took me a long time to get through. I am just not one who enjoys reading fifty pages of court proceedings. Otherwise, I enjoyed this book.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not just biased because one of my best friends wrote this book -- it really is a compelling page-turner! The plot twist and turns through the mind of Taylor Helzer, a good Mormon boy gone terribly bad, and all the chaos he wreaked in the Bay Area in the summer of 2000. Even if you're not into true crime paperbacks, make an exception and read this one.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was written a lot like courtroom drama that you see on TV (like cold case or something like that).

This book really hit home to me how fanatic people can really twist things (especially religion) to fit their own egotistical mindsets.

Hearing about the murders was gruesome and really was hard to read. The book was not written that well though and was a little distracting.

[Elyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The combination of true crime and cults/brainwashing was quite fascinating. The author told the story in an organized and suspenseful manner. The very graphic descriptions of the murders were so grisly that I had to take several breaks from reading.

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not that I didn't think it was written well, but it's not really my type of book. I think people who lived in Northern California during this would certainly enjoy the book.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has haunted me. I can't believe people could be so diabolical. It almost seemed like fiction. Something Helter Skelterish about it.

[Barbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how the story was written. Very interesting an sad