Moroni Code

by Jack M. Lyon

When David Hunter is assigned to decipher the mysterious code on a letter from Joseph Smith, everything goes wrong. The code is much harder to break than he'd imagined, complicated by the fact that someone has been stealing dicuments from the Church's Historical Department. And always in the back of his mind is his overwhelming need to translate an even stranger his grandfather's authentic copy of characters from the golden plates--a fading slip of paper he jokingly cals the Moroni Code. But it's no joke. If he can work out the translation, it will mean Joseph Smith really was a prophet--and David can finally make sense of his own heritage, his own life. But fist, he has to protect the Church--and time is running out. If you enjoy tales of secrets and suspense, you'll love The Moroni Code.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Religion, Lds

244 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2007

About the author

Jack M. Lyon, managing editor at Deseret Book Company, helped compile the two-volume Best-Loved Stories of the LDS People and other books in the Best-Loved series. He and his wife, Anne, have four children and have two grandchildren and reside in West Valley City, Utah.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed how they wove the history into this story.

[Connie Dickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book about the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Everything in the book was true except a certain letter that was supposed to be written by Joseph Smith about the Book of Mormon being a hoax. (There is back-up material in the back, similar to "The Work and The Glory") It was fun and exciting reading. Even the teenagers would like it. In the story, many people had their testimonies challenged when the Church was blackmailed over some supposedly true documents that touted the falseness of our religion. The prophet had to make a statement and church members had to take a stand. Some got knocked "off the straight and narrow path" but the rest waited it out, knowing the Lord would take care of it. As you probably have guessed, He did! It all came out right in the end. Wouldn't it always?

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a lot of hopes for this book, and it was very interesting in places. Had the author stuck to the matter of resolving the coded Joseph Smith letter and translating the Anthon document, it would have been a satisfying read. The subplots only served to draw the attention away from where it should have been. They added nothing to the story. The discussions of translation and decoding were fascinating, and the conversion of the protagonist was passable. I do wish his love interest were more than a smile and a pass into the archives. Overall, a good read, but not very memorable.

[Shayne Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack has definitely spent some time on his research and has put together a wonderful story with insight, details and history that will give the reader much to consider. His first in this series, this book is a great introduction to the sequel (which I actually enjoyed even more than this one!) If you like anything to do with cryptography, Joseph Smith, church history, The Book of Mormon, intrigue or romance, you will find it all here!

[Kelli Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5- it wasn't bad. It just wasn't my type of read. Although I did gain new knowledge.

[Ranee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story with interesting history woven into it.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

simple story of an FBI agent trying to figure out if a threatened blackmail attempt is true

[Linnae · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Hunter works for the FBI, and his latest assignment is for the Mormon church. They are being blackmailed with an old letter from Joseph Smith, written in code, that seems to call into question the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. He's only got a few days to decode the letter before the blackmailers will make it public.

As he delves further into the meaning behind the letter, he also makes progress on decoding a scrap of paper given to him by his grandfather: a copy of characters from the gold plates. Unfortunately, the blackmailers are on to him, and he may not live to see other project through to the end.

I enjoy the way Lyon includes historical LDS documents into his books. It gives them added interest beyond the run-of-the-mill suspense novel.

[Heather Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

How can you really get into a book whose first three words are "The big man?" Not a very exciting description.

An FBI agent, code person. A man named Oliver Cowdry whom the author describes as "a small man." The main character and his story is also a spoof off of "The Divinchi Code" which is why the title is such.

But this book has been entertaining and quick to read. It's not as dumb as my friends said it was.

I found the appendixes the most interesting part. The author did a lot of interesting reseach that I was not aware of and learned from.

[Lindsay Wolsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a bit of a disappointment. It had potential, but it just didn't really go anywhere.

My dad bought this because it was on sale, and my mom mocked him for reading it, and then he gave it to me and I read it and gave it back. Then it showed up in a box of books he sent over to me! So I was going to give it to someone else as a gift, and my daughter colored on it so now it can't pass for new. Looks like the library is getting a donation.

[Tisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected this book to be pretty lame, and it ended up being an easy but pleasant read. It tries to be an LDS version of The Da Vinci Code (and a few other Dan Brown books). The basic premise of the book is that someone is trying to destroy the Mormon church by releaseing a letter written in code by Joseph Smith saying he lied about translating the Book of Mormon. I skipped all the chapters that quoted scriptures and/or letters from Oliver Cowdery - they didn't seem to fit.

[KelliAnn Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was a nice, quick read. I liked that it wasn't a silly attempt at actually reinventing The DaVinci Code with a new set of scriptures. Surprisingly, I actually learned quite a few things about Church history that I hadn't known before. I loved how thoroughly the author seemed to research all of the details he included, and I also loved all of the notes and information in the back. It was a fun little book, and I would recommend it for a light read.

[Daron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it was a fast, somewhat entertaining read, it didn't pull me emotionally into the story. I thought the characters could have been better developed. The premise was quite interesting. I really liked the appendices at the end. In my mind, putting fewer of the 1800's letters and scenes in the actual text (thereby moving them to an appendix) would have been better. They tended to pull me out of the story. Going from "fiction" to "history" so often was a bit tiresome.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was kind of skeptical about this book however, the author did warn us at the beginning that this book is fiction. I thought some of the code decipering was interesting. The characters in the book didn't seem to engage my interest. I wanted the love story part of the story to work and it did but the characters were not developed enough I guess.

Quick read but nothing like the DaVinci Code by Dan Brown.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok, it was kind of a LDS version of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code but it definitely needed more character development and a little less historical letters that really didn't have anything to do with the plot (just provided an interesting look at LDS history). I had great hope for this book but in the end it was just ok.

[Anna del C. Dye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book that reminds me of the Davinci Code. It is historical fiction. The reader is conveyed on an exciting journey that involves deciphering the code to thwart extortionists. The story is slightly slowed down by the extensive use of historical quotes. Almost everything that happens in the story could have actually happened as described. The author did take literary license on two major points of the story. It is an interesting read. It includes light romance and spiritual awakening.

[Linds · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about what you would expect it to be. A cheesy mormon story about an FBI agent who not only solves the case but finds love and gains a testimony as well. It's alright, but I am a little embarrased to admit that I actually read it. My defense is that I had a screaming one year old in the library and grabbed the closest book so I could get out of there fast.

[Ryan Burt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok I was expecting this book to be very lame. But turned out alright. I had been picking it up and flipping through it everyonce in a a while and finally broke down and read it. Doesnt reall draw on the DaVinci Code other then the title. But has some interesting facs and stories. Not overly LDS but somewhat.

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked more character development of April, who I only saw on the surface. The historical letters were a nice touch, but I felt like they pulled me out of the current story when they should have shed light on something. This book gets summed up a few chapters before it ends, which is different, and it makes it feel rather anticlimactic, when the story is wrapped up too soon.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. I liked it. A mysterious paper surfaces, supposedly written by Joseph Smith himself, that casts doubt on the authenticity of the Book of Mormon and could destroy the LDS church.

It's got bad guys, blackmail, romance, the gaining of a testimony, and repentance.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cardboard characters are so flimsy, with no justification for the relationships, that you would think I wouldn't read the book. I found the plot so interesting I read it all. Lyon has numerous notes and references at the end to prove his story. He wanted this book to be compared to The DaVinci Code and the Catholic church. Didn't work.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

When David Hunter is assigned to decipher the mysterious code on a letter from Joseph Smith, everything goes wrong. The code is much harder to break than he'd imagined, complicated by the fact that someone has been stealing documents from the Church's Historical Department.

Slow, goes back and forth, poorly written in my opinion.

[Susan Hatch · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting little book. Nothing too heavy except where the thought processes lead. Enjoyed reading little known pieces of writing. Initially wasn't too impressed but on completing the novel, I found it to be a good, late-summer read.

Some people only read the heavy stuff, some only the light. Somehow this book falls in between.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be an entertaining read... nothing ground-shaking in it, but i certainly enjoyed reading it! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fast, entertaining, light LDS read!

[BreAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I highly recommend it. It made me wonder what I would think if they found a letter from Joseph Smith that questioned the translation of the book of mormon. It even has a hidden code within the book that leads to a prize. Pretty Cool!

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Moroni Code is a novel about a letter written by Joseph Smith in code. The people that have the letter is blackmailing the Church saying that the letter can destroy the Church. A fun book but not one I would recommend to anyone without a strong testimony of the Church

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like secret codes and a good mystery you'll enjoy this book. It's filled with puzzles and letters from the past...one of which threatens to discredit the LDS church. A reluctant FBI agent who has questions of his own, is called in to figure it all out.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I speed-read this one for my ward book group. It was an entertaining story with a little bit of mystery, a little bit of adventure, and a little bit of romance. However, there was no depth to any of the characters, and I never felt emotionally connected with the book.

[Drew]

I couldn't even get into this book. It was just about the most bouncy book I ever read one minute your reading about Joseph Smith Jr. Next minute your in the FBI Office in Utah. I would give this book -3 stars.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This wasn't what I expected it to be. I was hoping for a DaVinci Code sort of book, but I found myself skipping through chapters just trying to find out how it ended. It didn't hold my attention, and I just didn't like it.