Crime

The Colony: Faith and Blood in a Promised Land

The Colony: Faith and Blood in a Promised Land

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  • Create Date：2022-07-01 02:19:45
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sally Denton
  • ISBN：B09KMCX7WF
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Summary

On the morning of November 4， 2019， an unassuming caravan of women and children was ambushed by masked gunmen on a desolate stretch of road in northern Mexico controlled by the Sinaloa drug cartel。 Firing semi-automatic weapons， the attackers killed nine people and gravely injured five more。 The victims were members of the LeBaron and La Mora communities—fundamentalist Mormons whose forebears broke from the Latter-day Saints Church and settled in Mexico when their religion outlawed polygamy in the late nineteenth century。 The massacre produced international headlines for weeks， and prompted President Donald Trump to threaten to send in the U。S。 Army。

In The Colony， bestselling investigative journalist Sally Denton picks up where the initial， incomplete reporting on the attacks ended， and delves into the complex story of the LeBaron clan。 Their homestead—Colonia LeBaron—is a portal into the past， a place that offers a glimpse of life within a polygamous community on an arid and dangerous frontier in the mid-1800s， though with smartphones and machine guns。 Rooting her narrative in written sources as well as interviews with anonymous women from LeBaron itself， Denton unfolds an epic， disturbing tale that spans the first polygamist emigrations to Mexico through the LeBarons’ internal blood feud in the 1970s—started by Ervil LeBaron， known as the “Mormon Manson”—and up to the family’s recent alliance with the NXIVM sex cult， whose now-imprisoned leader， Keith Raniere， may have based his practices on the society he witnessed in Colonia LeBaron。

A descendant of polygamist Mormons herself， Denton explores what drove so many women over generations to join or remain in a community based on male supremacy and female servitude。 Then and now， these women of Zion found themselves in an isolated desert， navigating the often-mysterious complications of plural marriage—and supported， Denton shows， only by one another。

A mesmerizing feat of investigative journalism， The Colony doubles as an unforgettable account of sisterhood that can flourish in polygamist communities， against the odds。

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Reviews

Janilyn Kocher ，

Told in blunt pragmatic prose， Denton examines the tragic killing of 3 women and 6 children in Mexico。 They were members of the polygamist group Colonia LeBaron。 The author relates the history of Mormonism and polygamy in very general terms， but doesn’t hesitate to illustrate the megalomaniac personality of Joseph Smith and the lies and deception of Brigham Young。It’s an eye opening read for anyone unfamiliar with the subject。Thanks to Liveright Press and Edelweiss for the advance read。

Kara ，

To be honest I didn't recall the news story about the group of Mormon women and children massacred in Mexico in 2019 so this story was all news to me and The Colony is a fascinating and thorough account of the shocking incident。 I also had no idea that there were Mormon colonies in Mexico， so the book gives just enough background of their history for context and a little bit about the Mormon faith as well so that the stage is set for why these murders were committed。 All in all a solid read for To be honest I didn't recall the news story about the group of Mormon women and children massacred in Mexico in 2019 so this story was all news to me and The Colony is a fascinating and thorough account of the shocking incident。 I also had no idea that there were Mormon colonies in Mexico， so the book gives just enough background of their history for context and a little bit about the Mormon faith as well so that the stage is set for why these murders were committed。 All in all a solid read for true crime readers and people who enjoy investigative journalism。 Thank you to Liveright publisher （an imprint of W。W。 Norton & Company） for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more

Heather L ，

This was an interesting book， the author included an extensive list of resources she used to write the book， it takes up the last hour or so of the book。 The book starts with the massacre of 3 women and 6 children in Mexico who were on their way from Colonia LeBaron to a neighboring town， they are traveling in a convoy of SUV's。 They are attacked， the SUV's riddled with bullets， the lead SUV and the people in it burnt， some of the children escaped and took shelter， one young boy walked many mile This was an interesting book， the author included an extensive list of resources she used to write the book， it takes up the last hour or so of the book。 The book starts with the massacre of 3 women and 6 children in Mexico who were on their way from Colonia LeBaron to a neighboring town， they are traveling in a convoy of SUV's。 They are attacked， the SUV's riddled with bullets， the lead SUV and the people in it burnt， some of the children escaped and took shelter， one young boy walked many miles to get help。 Who actually attacked them is not discussed until near the end of the book。 Most of the book details the history of Mormons and polygamy， the roots in the south of USA， the move to， at the time， the Mexican territory of Utah that was out of reach of the USA authorities and allowed polygamy among the settlers to flourish， the move to Mexico and the establishment of Colonia LeBaron。 This portion of the book is quite detailed and includes the Meadow Massacre where Mormons attacked a group of gentile travelers killing all， the worst， at the time， white on white attack in history。 The Mormons were also not kind to each other， with one brother killing another， siblings taking out other siblings （all the families are very large with numerous children）。 Then there's the NXIVM that made a film about one of the members of the Colonia LeBaron， the found of NXIVM was found guilty of sex trafficking and a number of other charges， some of the people he attempted to engage were from Colonia LeBaron。 In the end who actually did the deed is not clearly determined， Mexican authorities were slow to investigate， not arriving at the scene for a day or more after the event， then blaming it on rival cartels。 There were a number of people arrested， but to date no one has been held accountable。 A tragic read that I would recommend。 Thank you to #Netgalley and #Liveright for the ARC。 。。。more

Michelle ，

This one was a tough one for me。 I was interested in the facts surrounding the modern-day murders， and the part of the book that described those was interesting to me。 The problem for me is that the author torched my trust in her in the historical part of the book tracing the rise of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints。 I do not know if it is personal animus or poor research that led to the many factually incorrect statements， but it made it quite difficult for me to evaluate the tru This one was a tough one for me。 I was interested in the facts surrounding the modern-day murders， and the part of the book that described those was interesting to me。 The problem for me is that the author torched my trust in her in the historical part of the book tracing the rise of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints。 I do not know if it is personal animus or poor research that led to the many factually incorrect statements， but it made it quite difficult for me to evaluate the truthfulness of the rest of the book。 I realize the author has written other books on this history， including one on the Mountain Meadows massacre。 So I think she should know， and was disappointed with her assertions that John D Lee was "Brigham Young's favorite apostle" as he was not， as far as I could discover， an apostle at all， and there was no evidence provided that he was a "favorite" anything。 Also simple statements that five minutes with the Book of Mormon could refute， such as the assertion that Mormon， father of Moroni， led the migration to the Americas。 ？？？ There were many more in my notebook for me to check up on further， but I was disappointed in this。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more

Kat Attack。 ，

This book gives so much background information about the FLDS and the LDS。 Full disclosure， I have read many many memoirs from individuals who managed to escape the FLDS so my repertoire of knowledge around this is quite high。 This book starts off with the murders of FLDS members in Mexico in 2019， but quickly deviates to the history of Mormonism and the split between the FLDS and the LDS communities。 The background and the history going back to Joseph Smith can get a bit dry and overly wordy， b This book gives so much background information about the FLDS and the LDS。 Full disclosure， I have read many many memoirs from individuals who managed to escape the FLDS so my repertoire of knowledge around this is quite high。 This book starts off with the murders of FLDS members in Mexico in 2019， but quickly deviates to the history of Mormonism and the split between the FLDS and the LDS communities。 The background and the history going back to Joseph Smith can get a bit dry and overly wordy， but Denton lays out the ground work for readers to understand the turmoil and violence this community was subject to， and what they inflicted upon others。 Denton then returns to a more modern time and goes through the LaBaron communities relationship with NXIVM and Raniere， which offers some unique insight to two cults working in unison。 These chapters are a bit long， and for any readers with more background in this area may struggle with the quotes from other memoirs and the history， there is heavy use of Irene Spencer's material （another great read）。 This didn't hit the mark for me as a true crime book or what I expected， it does read more as a generalized history of the LaBaron group but the read was worth the time nevertheless。 Thank you NetGalley and Sally Denton for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Kat Attack。 ，

This book gives so much background information about the FLDS and the LDS。 Full disclosure， I have read many many memoirs from individuals who managed to escape the FLDS so my repertoire of knowledge around this is quite high。 This book starts off with the murders of FLDS members in Mexico in 2019， but quickly deviates to the history of Mormonism and the split between the FLDS and the LDS communities。 The background and the history going back to Joseph Smith can get a bit dry and overly wordy， b This book gives so much background information about the FLDS and the LDS。 Full disclosure， I have read many many memoirs from individuals who managed to escape the FLDS so my repertoire of knowledge around this is quite high。 This book starts off with the murders of FLDS members in Mexico in 2019， but quickly deviates to the history of Mormonism and the split between the FLDS and the LDS communities。 The background and the history going back to Joseph Smith can get a bit dry and overly wordy， but Denton lays out the ground work for readers to understand the turmoil and violence this community was subject to， and what they inflicted upon others。 Denton then returns to a more modern time and goes through the LaBaron communities relationship with NXIVM and Raniere， which offers some unique insight to two cults working in unison。 These chapters are a bit long， and for any readers with more background in this area may struggle with the quotes from other memoirs and the history， there is heavy use of Irene Spencer's material （another great read）。 This didn't hit the mark for me as a true crime book or what I expected， it does read more as a generalized history of the LaBaron group but the read was worth the time nevertheless。 Thank you NetGalley and Sally Denton for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Collette ，

The Colony: Faith and Blood in a Promised Land by Sally Denton is a historical account and deep-dive investigation into several Mormon fundamentalist colonies in Mexico， who settled there （on land funded by the LDS church） so they could practice polygamy and escape persecution from the United States government。 It centers around a 2019 massacre of a caravan of Mormon women and children traveling along roads run by the Mexican drug cartels。 Though the victims were members of both the La Mora and The Colony: Faith and Blood in a Promised Land by Sally Denton is a historical account and deep-dive investigation into several Mormon fundamentalist colonies in Mexico， who settled there （on land funded by the LDS church） so they could practice polygamy and escape persecution from the United States government。 It centers around a 2019 massacre of a caravan of Mormon women and children traveling along roads run by the Mexican drug cartels。 Though the victims were members of both the La Mora and LeBaron clans， the book focuses mainly on the history， conflicts and practices of the latter。 "Any attempt to investigate or comprehend the murders requires first an understanding of that history， which goes back nearly two centuries。 The LeBarons' story is not only an epic of pioneer America but also a tale of secrecy， polygamy， blood feuds， conquest， and exploitation， wrapped in a radical interpretation of Mormon doctrine and steeped in a myth of persecution。" Yes， all that and more。 This heavily researched book， though slow a times， is an account of atrocities and the radical beliefs and practices fueled by male egos and their carnal desires coupled with a lust for power， an art for brainwashing， and a disregard for any sort of moral compass。 To say that the people in this fundamental sect base their belief system on Jesus Christ and call themselves saints is testament to the kind of crazy in their Kool-aid。 And it's scary crazy， complete with incidents such as the Meadow Massacre in 1857， "the worst butchery of white people by other whites in the entire colonization of America。。。approximately 140 unarmed men， women and children were murdered。" And， more recently， blood feuds over who was "the One Mighty and Strong，" where Ervil LeBaron， aka the Mormon Manson， killed his brother， "only the start of [his] ruthless campaign， the first of 33 known murders he committed。。。 he ordered Mafia-style hits on his many rival polygamist leaders and apostates from his church whom he called， 'The Sons of Perdition，' invoking blood atonement and proclaiming himself 'God's Avenger。'" It is tempting to say that this kind of behavior stems from the shallow gene pool （it is common practice for polygamists to marry first cousins） from a few who are obviously mentally ill。 But the themes that run throughout the history of the Mormon faith are disturbing at best。 Denton explains her relation to the story， saying， "Although I am not Mormon， I am descended from a long line of Mormon pioneer women， beginning with my great-great-grandmother， who was converted in London in 1849 by a future Mormon Prophet and brought her seven children with her to Zion by sailboat， steamer and wagon train。 Her daughter-in-law， my great grandmother， made a solo trek from Denmark to Utah in 1851 as a nine-year-old girl。 She walked from St。 Louis to Salt Lake City， pushing her few belongings in a handcart。" The history Denton reveals is a sad one， full of the subjugation of women。 Her great-grandmother was a second wife to her husband， and left to raise his children on her own without financial help， while still expected to tithe 10 percent of her income to the church。 One may ask why she didn't leave。 Because the church teaches （or at least the branch that adheres to polygamy， which still exists in communities today） that the only way for a woman to get to heaven is to be "pulled through the veil" by her husband。 And that the more wives a man has， the more godlike he is。 This book was well researched， with over 50 pages of citations， and eye-opening。 The colonies in Mexico today that were part of the massacre have not seen justice for their family members， partly because the Mexican government could not pinpoint or prosecute the perpetrators。 Their enemies are many。 This book is also a history of Mexico and the drug cartels， the indigenous farmers who feel their land and water is being taken by the Mormon colonies and even the NXIVM sex cult， who had alliances with the LeBarons。 It's all a bit much， but as they say， truth is stranger than fiction。Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways， the author， and Liveright Publishing for gifting me a copy of this book that I won't soon forget。 。。。more

Kate Marchand ，

Thanks to Liveright Publishers for an ARC—and please send me more of your great books to review！！！#LoveReviewingGreatBooksNot sure why this great book isn’t rated higher—unless LDS and Mormons are rating it 😂Back in 2019 I clearly remember being horrified by the true story of 3 women who planned to drive in Mexico as a group with their children and they were ambushed and massacred， killing not just the mamas but also 6 innocent children and wounding another 5 children。 Getting this whole backsto Thanks to Liveright Publishers for an ARC—and please send me more of your great books to review！！！#LoveReviewingGreatBooksNot sure why this great book isn’t rated higher—unless LDS and Mormons are rating it 😂Back in 2019 I clearly remember being horrified by the true story of 3 women who planned to drive in Mexico as a group with their children and they were ambushed and massacred， killing not just the mamas but also 6 innocent children and wounding another 5 children。 Getting this whole backstory was shocking and gripped me to the edge of my seat。 Learning the complicated backstory of LDS and Mormons was really interesting too and author Sally Denton （who has ties with the Mormons） did a great job providing the history。 I read half the book on day one because each chapter ends with you saying， “What the heck did I just read because I can’t believe these people lived like this and did THAT？！！！” If history isn’t your thing skip a few chapters and keep reading to more current times and you won’t believe what was happening right under our noses。 This Book Does Not Disappoint。 #TruthIsWayyyyySttangerThanFiction 。。。more

Justine || themaritimebookworm ，

I’m someone who finds cults and sects extremely interesting so I devoured this book。 It is heavy on the info so I would suggest to some people to break it up。 Especially with the long chapters。 But a great book to add to the polygamy collection。

Lachlan Finlayson ，

I am grateful to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。Late in 2019， a group of local women and children were travelling on a remote road in northern Mexico， when they were attacked by multiple gunmen。 The adults and several children died， their bodies and vehicles were set alight and the remaining children， many severely injured， were left to fend for themselves。This book provides the background and history of these people， whose Mormon ancestors I am grateful to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。Late in 2019， a group of local women and children were travelling on a remote road in northern Mexico， when they were attacked by multiple gunmen。 The adults and several children died， their bodies and vehicles were set alight and the remaining children， many severely injured， were left to fend for themselves。This book provides the background and history of these people， whose Mormon ancestors arrived in Mexico over one hundred years ago following the outlawing of polygamy in the United States。 Since that time， communities or colonies， comprised of many dual American-Mexican citizens， have expanded， making a success of farming in a harsh， largely underdeveloped area。 In more recent years the uneasy alliance the polygamist colonies have had with the various competing Mexican drug cartels has shifted， and the mutual tolerance has ebbed。 Intertwined with the polygamist colonies and the drug cartels are various other groups and institutions: indigenous neighbours， local and national politicians， peace campaigners， gun-rights advocates， American Mormon communities and US politicians。 Strong views and tensions ebb and flow over the years， and various violent episodes from past times are still vividly remembered。 Tensions also exist within and between the Mexican polygamist communities over multiple issues including church leadership， and the political， cultural， commercial aspects of their lifestyles。The books opens with a description of the November 2019 massacre of the women and children。 The polygamist communities， the cartels， and other groups including politicians， neighbouring indigenous communities and towns are introduced。 The following chapters provide a brief but concise history of the American Church of Latter Day Saints， also known as the Mormon Church; a relatively new and uniquely American religion， with polygamy central to its beliefs。 When polygamy became illegal in the US at the end of the 19th century， communities of Mormons left the US， including some who traveled and settled in northern Mexico。 The colonies thrived in Mexico where polygamy， whilst not legal， was tolerated to some extent。 They drifted from mainstream Mormonism in many ways， but polygamy， patriarchy and segregation remained integral to their lifestyle。 The book explains the evolution， expansion， divergence and success of the Mexican polygamist colonies。 Despite conflicts within the colonies， as well as external pressures such as the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century， these communities have survived to the present day。 There is an uneasy relationship with the political system and in particular with the drug cartels that have come to dominate the political， cultural and economic landscape of significant areas throughout Mexico。 Always in the background are the violent tendencies of those who wish to ‘lead’ these communities in certain directions， either economic， spiritual or towards challenging the dominance of the cartels。 Interestingly， an American cult called NXIVM engaged with the Mexican colonies and their struggle with the drug cartels， seeking to solve the issues they were having through mindfulness， dialogue and peaceful methods。 Predictably， this failed， perhaps making the situation even worse。 NIXVM later had legal problems of their own with leaders brought to justice for various crimes in the US。 The book discusses multiple groups， situations and events leading up to the November 2019 massacre。 Both the US and Mexican political landscapes evolve， and the influence of the drug cartels increases， along with conflict and competition。 By the 21st century， the Mexican polygamist colonies have become powerful commercial and political enterprises， damaging the uneasy truce that had been enjoyed with the cartels。 Privilege， resentment， threats and violence increase， leading up to the horrible events of November of 2019。 Speculation as to who was responsible and why this massacre occurred is covered in the closing chapters。 Various charges have been made and several individuals have been arrested。 Despite this， justice remains elusive for the families of this episode as it does for so many other victims of violence in Mexico and the United States。 I enjoyed this book， increasing my knowledge of the Mormon religion， polygamy， and the difficult circumstances for all those living in northern Mexico。 For anyone who wishes to go beyond the headlines and better understand the massacres of November 2019， I highly recommend this book。I wish the author and publishers all the very best with this important book。 。。。more

Sheila ，

I received an ARC of， The Colony by Sally Denton。 This book is interesting but sad。 It gives a history of the Mormon religion， off shoot。 The people who died needlessly in Mexico was horrible。

Jill ，

The Colony by Sally Denton4 starsThere is a great deal of FLDS & LDS backstory in this book。 The author starts with the telling of the massacre in Mexico in 2019 that killed FLDS mothers and their children as they traveled down the road。 The book backtracks to the very beginning of Mormon history， polygamy and the fracture of those mormons who continued to believe in polygamy and those who did abandoned the practice。This book is for anyone interested in the history of the Mormons and the hardshi The Colony by Sally Denton4 starsThere is a great deal of FLDS & LDS backstory in this book。 The author starts with the telling of the massacre in Mexico in 2019 that killed FLDS mothers and their children as they traveled down the road。 The book backtracks to the very beginning of Mormon history， polygamy and the fracture of those mormons who continued to believe in polygamy and those who did abandoned the practice。This book is for anyone interested in the history of the Mormons and the hardships they faced from early on up until a faction of them moved to Mexico。 I have read many of the memoirs of women who were born into and trapped into this life before escaping; but this book brings a unique look at the background of Joseph Smith and the rest of the leaders within this group。 At times， this book is overly wordy and intense but it was a interesting read that I believe many readers will appreciate and enjoy。One caveat， The Colony is more of a history book than it is a true crime book。I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley。 。。。more

Karen Clements ，

At first glance， this book seems to be about the brutal killing of three Mormon women and six of their children on a desolate road in Mexico in 2019， but that incident is just the starting point for Denton’s analysis of the many splinter groups of the fundamentalist LDS church that settled south of the border when polygamy was banned。 This investigation includes religious extremism， family feuds， politics， sex scandals， and drug cartels and a large assortment of men grappling for dominance。 It’s At first glance， this book seems to be about the brutal killing of three Mormon women and six of their children on a desolate road in Mexico in 2019， but that incident is just the starting point for Denton’s analysis of the many splinter groups of the fundamentalist LDS church that settled south of the border when polygamy was banned。 This investigation includes religious extremism， family feuds， politics， sex scandals， and drug cartels and a large assortment of men grappling for dominance。 It’s complicated， bloody， and ultimately futile， and I couldn’t look away。 Recommended 。。。more

Amanda Mae ，

I wanted to read this book since I'm distantly related to one of the mothers who was murdered， and that's what drew me into the story。 I appreciated the rundown of the events， and that she gave a lot of background information of the historical events that led to the massacre。 What I didn't appreciate was her extensive citation of Fawn Brodie's book on Joseph Smith， which has been discredited （and really， there are so many other sources that have come out since the 1940s why wouldn't you？）。 But o I wanted to read this book since I'm distantly related to one of the mothers who was murdered， and that's what drew me into the story。 I appreciated the rundown of the events， and that she gave a lot of background information of the historical events that led to the massacre。 What I didn't appreciate was her extensive citation of Fawn Brodie's book on Joseph Smith， which has been discredited （and really， there are so many other sources that have come out since the 1940s why wouldn't you？）。 But overall I had a good experience with this book and would cautiously recommend it to others。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Colony: Faith and Blood in a Promised Land

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Colony: Faith and Blood in a Promised Land&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Colony: Faith and Blood in a Promised Land&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0