When the Moon Turns to Blood: Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and a Story of Murder, Wild Faith, and End Times

Written by Leah Sottile

Narrated by Leah Sottile

Inspired by Jon Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven and Jess Walter’s Every Knee Shall Bow, WHEN THE MOON TURNS TO BLOOD explores modern-day survivalism and end-times extremism through the story of Lori Vallow and her husband, grave digger turned doomsday novelist, Chad Daybell.

When police in Rexburg, Idaho perform a wellness check on seven J.J. Vallow and his sister, sixteen-year-old Tylee Ryan, both children are nowhere to be found. Their mother, Lori Vallow, gives a phony explanation, and when officers return the following day with a search warrant, she, too, is gone. As the police begin to close in, a larger web of mystery, murder, fanaticism and deceit begins to unravel.

Vallow’s case is sinuously complex. As investigators prod further, they find the accused Black Widow has an unusual number of bodies piling up around her.
 
WHEN THE MOON TURNS TO BLOOD tells a gripping story of extreme beliefs, snake oil prophets, and explores the question: if it feels like the world is ending, how are people supposed to act?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Jun 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781549164019

Reviews for When the Moon Turns to Blood

[carolfoisset · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very well written and informative. Reveals scary details about the cult following of some hyper religious groups.
These two leave a trail of dead bodies in their wake - frightening.

[blbooks-14314 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First sentence: I remember when they found the bodies.

Premise/plot: Is this a 'true-crime' book covering the case of Lori Vallow's missing [murdered] children? Yes. In part. It is a broader book than that. It seeks to explore the why. I'll clarify--the why in generalities not specifics. Or not only specifics. Why are there [so many] fringe, extremists, end-times-obsessed groups in the United States? Why do people believe and follow such leaders--often charismatic leaders? How do these groups get started? How do they thrive? How do they go unchecked? In particular, on the fringe-border-spaces of the Mormon (LDS church). Why is doomsday prepping such a big thing? Why the focus on the last days? How much is an inherited "us" vs. "them" mentality? Has the past violence in the church--in the early decades of the nineteenth century--unduly influencing the church still? Why the fascination with near death experiences? Why are so many quick to believe new prophecies and new visions? Is there ever a point where strange becomes too strange? What are the dangers of living in a vacuum. I'll clarify that last one--obviously not literal. If you live in a town, a city, a community, where almost every single person--and almost all authoritative positions--are of a particular religion, say LDS (or Mormon), then what are the dangers and risks? Obviously, there would be plenty of benefits. But there would be risks as well for those that are speaking up about the red flags they see, for those whistle blowers, for those saying HEY something is wrong. The past is the past is the past, but if some of those speaking out had been heard, then maybe just maybe the story would have been different. There were definitely instances of "I knew something was wrong" or "I knew something was off" or "this didn't feel right" or "nothing she was saying made sense to me" etc. Several times outsiders [though perhaps fellow LDS] would say, yes, she's strange but she doesn't pose a threat to anyone else. Yes, she's talking utter nonsense, but it's harmless nonsense. [I can't remember if this was a medical person evaluating her mental health OR a police officer determining if she needed to have her mental health evaluated.]

The book covers OTHER fringe groups over the past hundred, hundred-fifty years. The book covers the legacy of those end-times obsessed, anti-government groups that were all out committed to surviving these last days. The book covers those overlapping spaces between politics and religion that can breed extremists of multiple varieties.

My thoughts: I wasn't expecting a history lesson. I didn't mind a history lesson. But I was expecting a bit narrower focus. I can see why the focus was broadened. In response to the more shallow coverage of the case that separates it out...and turns it into a case of love, lust, passion, obsession. But the case is more complex than that. WAY more complex than that.

[arubabookwoman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What "line is there between 'talking with God' and just plain psychotic, schizophrenic raving with the voices in your head?" Amazon Reviewer

Lori Vallow and her new husband, former lover, Chad Daybell, murdered her two children Tylee and JJ. They were also probably responsible for the murders of Lori's ex-husband and Chad's wife. Their trials have not yet occurred.

While this book is a true crime exposition, it is also a deep dive into the fundamentalist cults and the various conspiracy theories they espouse, particularly those sprouting from the LDS sects who are awaiting for the end of the world. I found myself fascinated by this culture and the "visionaries" leading these cults who evoke such irrational beliefs and inspire such loyalty.

3 stars