From the bestselling author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, a riveting account of Taliban-like theocracies in the American heartland controlled by renegade Mormon prophets.

True crime in the American heartland. Under the Banner of Heaven is a riveting account of Mormon fundamentalism and renegade prophets, from the bestselling author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air.

Now a major TV miniseries starring Andrew Garfield.

Brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty insist they were commanded to kill by God. Jon Krakauer‘s investigation into the murder of a mother and her child is a meticulously researched, bone-chilling narrative of polygamy, savage violence and unyielding faith.

An incisive look inside isolated Mormon Fundamentalist communities in America, this gripping work of non-fiction illuminates an otherwise confounding realm of human behaviour.

‘A provocative look at the twisted roots of American fundamentalism.’ – Will Self, Evening Standard ‘Books of the Year’

‘Excellent . . . a lucid, judicious, even sympathetic account not just of Mormon Fundamentalism but of the seductive power of fanaticism in general.’ – Daily Telegraph

‘Remarkable . . . for anyone interested in the wilder frontiers of spiritual conviction, this book is a must.’ – Independent

"A provocative look at the twisted roots of American fundamentalism." - Evening Standard Books of the Year

"Excellent . . . a lucid, judicious, even sympathetic account not just of Mormon Fundamentalism but of the seductive power of fanaticism in general." - Daily Telegraph

"Remarkable . . . for anyone interested in the wilder frontiers of spiritual conviction, this book is a must." - Independent