Latter-Day Cipher by Latayne C. Scott
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Moody Publishers (April 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802456790
ASIN: B002SB8NQC

When rebellious Utah socialite Kirsten Young is found murdered in Provo Canyon with strange markings carved into her flesh and a note written in a 19th Century code, questions arise about the old laws of the Mormon Church. Journalist Selonnah Zee is assigned the story—which quickly takes on a life of its own. Even before the first murder is solved several more victims appear, each one more mysterious than the last.

Adding to a slew of other distractions, Selonnah’s cousin, Roger, has recently converted and is now a public spokesperson for the Mormon faith. But paradoxically, Roger’s wife Eliza is struggling to hold onto the Mormon beliefs of her childhood. If something is really from God, she wonders, why does it need to be constantly revised? And could the murderer be asking the same questions?

I thought this book did a great job of showing the truth behind the Mormon church. I was compelled to purchase the novel more for the subject matter than for the storyline. Since I was raised in a religion that’s considered a cult, I was interested in finding out more about the weird teaching of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

There’s a murderer on the loose and after he/she kills, there’s always a message left behind, showing that the murderer is affiliated with the Mormon church. Selonnah Zee, a writer, is given the assignment to cover the murders and to find out more about the Latter-Day Saints church. While bunking with her male cousin and his wife, Selonnah finds herself taken on a journey where she questions the Mormon church and tries to find the answers behind the questions about her own faith.

This book will blow your mind, especially if you know little about the Mormon church and long to know more. I read it in a few days over the Christmas break.

~Cecelia Dowdy~