Righteous Series

Deep in the Utah desert, the small polygamous community of Blister Creek has a history of protecting its own. Even when a young woman is brutally murdered just blocks from her home, the residents of the conservative enclave close ranks. But just because they don’t want outside law enforcement in their business doesn’t mean the murder will go unpunished. More than a thousand miles away, Jacob Christianson, a medical student and son of a devout church elder, learns of his cousin Amanda’s murder. Though Jacob is skeptical of many of the community’s fundamentalist beliefs, his sharply analytical mind and family connection to the victim earns him the assignment of investigator into Amanda’s death. Jacob heads to Blister Creek, accompanied by his inquisitive younger sister, Eliza, to probe the bizarre circumstances of their cousin’s violent death. It doesn’t take long for the pair to realize that Amanda’s murder was no random act; rather, it is part of a covert plot to overthrow the church’s leaders. Chilling and engrossing, The Righteous has been hailed as a “first rate suspense thriller,” a tightly plotted novel about the dark secrets hiding behind the veil of religion.

For years Jacob Christianson struggled to reconcile his faith with his skepticism about the polygamous practices of his religious community. That doubt, combined with a sharp analytical mind, enabled him to solve the ritualistic murder of his cousin at the hands of bloodthirsty fundamentalists within their own church. Now, those experiences have captured the attention of the FBI, who come to Jacob with an unusual request: infiltrate a millennialist cult and extract the undercover agent who has fallen off the radar. Jacob reluctantly agrees, but it doesn’t take long to realize that his mission will be easier said than done. Impatient and unwilling to heed Jacob’s warnings, the FBI closes in, forcing a power play with the dangerous cultists—with Jacob and his family caught squarely in the middle. Tense and engaging, Mighty and Strong offers “an in-depth ride into a world few have entered,” a page-turning foray into the realm of religious extremists and the lengths to which they will go to defend their beliefs.

As the son of the prophet of Blister Creek, a polygamous enclave in Utah, Dr. Jacob Christianson has struggled for years to reconcile his faith with his skepticism about the fundamentalist practices of his community. Nevertheless, when his family and neighbors were threatened, Jacob stepped up time and again to lead the fight against those who would destroy them. Now Jacob and the residents of Blister Creek face a dangerous new challenge to their quiet existence. Taylor Kimball Jr. wants to take over as prophet of Blister Creek—and he wants Jacob’s sister Eliza by his side when he does it. With no room for personal reservations, Jacob forms a tenuous alliance with his father and the FBI. But Taylor Junior is as crafty as he is brutal, anticipating Jacob’s plan and drawing him out to leave Blister Creek vulnerable to attack. And this time Taylor has come prepared, with a horrific new weapon capable of annihilating Blister Creek. If he has any chance of winning this fight, Jacob will have to decide, once and for all, just how far he is willing to go to protect his community. The fourth in Michael Wallace’s riveting Righteous series, The Blessed and the Damned raises the stakes in Jacob’s world to dizzying new heights.

Growing up in a conservative polygamous community, Eliza Christianson was a young woman of faith who could never quite wrap her mind around the fundamentalist aspects of her religion. Thanks to her older brother Jacob, she managed to survive adolescence unmarried, even enrolling in classes at the University of Utah. Eliza always suspected God had more in store for her than just to be some man’s third or fourth wife; nonetheless, she is surprised when Allison Caliari seeks her out for help. Allison’s daughter Madeline has been recruited by a doomsday cult led by a cruel man known only as the Disciple, and she wants Eliza’s help to get the girl back. One of the few leads Allison can offer is a fateful one: Jacob and Eliza’s brother David, a “lost boy” shunned by the church. Eliza sets out to convince David to help her infiltrate the cult, and she ventures to an abandoned dumping ground in the Las Vegas desert to rescue Madeline. The third installment of Michael Wallace’s enthralling Righteous series, The Wicked tears off the veil of religious fanaticism as seen through the eyes of an extraordinary heroine.

As the reluctant new leader of Blister Creek, Dr. Jacob Christianson dares to hope he finally has delivered his people from the brutal Kimball clan—until his adopted son Daniel begins suffering from terrifying visions. Jacob knows all too well the mental illness that plagues the Kimballs, Daniel’s biological family, fueling their thirst for vengeance and power. Desperate for answers, Jacob immerses himself in the history of Blister Creek, plumbing its blood-soaked origins for something—anything—to save his beloved son from the path of evil. All the while, the fugitive Taylor Kimball Junior is gathering the tattered remnants of his family, rallying them for one final assault on Blister Creek. Driven by the same dark angel fighting for Daniel’s soul, Taylor Junior won’t stop until he claims his rightful place as the prophet of Blister Creek—and wipes the Christianson bloodline from the earth forever.

With the murderous Kimball clan’s evil power plays finally put down, Dr. Jacob Christianson begins to embrace his role as leader of the Mormon polygamist community of Blister Creek, hoping to slowly bring his people into the modern age. But then the world around Blister Creek begins to fall apart: An international crop failure and global starvation. Freezing temperatures and active volcanoes. Fuel and medicine shortages. Widespread lawlessness and looming war. The residents of Blister Creek suddenly find themselves facing the very end-of-the-world scenario they’ve been preparing for. Years of stockpiling guns, ammunition, food, and fuel are paying off: They are ready to wait out whatever God has in store for them. Unfortunately, their preparations have not gone unnoticed. A newly empowered government agency and a vengeful governor have their sights set on Blister Creek and are plotting to take control of their supplies. Can Jacob defend his community, calm his terrified people, quell an armed rebellion, and keep government forces out of his people’s business? Only God knows. Set in a dangerously beautiful landscape against a backdrop of apocalyptic worldwide collapse, The Gates of Babylon is the sixth book in Michael Wallace’s acclaimed Righteous series.

Environmental disaster, war, and government dissolution have plunged the outside world into chaos, leaving the embattled polygamist community of Blister Creek facing a host of dire challenges as their lifesaving resources grow treacherously low. When one of their beloved members gets lost in the desert, Dr. Jacob Christianson agrees to send out an expedition that includes his sister, Eliza. But danger follows the search group, literally: nefarious armed drones hover overhead, ready to strike the rescuers at a moment’s notice. Greater troubles soon arise for Jacob and his followers. Refugees from a now-defunct government camp in Utah are making their way to the compound, demanding food and supplies from the community of dedicated believers. This is the end-of-the-world scenario that Jacob and the rest of Blister Creek’s denizens prepared for—and feared more than anything. Now, Jacob’s faith will be tested as he decides between doing what is right…and what is necessary to survive.

Now that their latest battle is over, the religious residents of Blister Creek are dealing with their losses and trying to heal—physically and spiritually. Their leader, Jacob Christianson, now feels the full burden of the responsibility and finds himself at a crossroads: keep the believers isolated, or see what lies beyond Blister Creek’s borders. In a world still enmeshed in war, famine, and destruction, wool blankets and powdered milk are the new currency. Fortunately, the devout community has made all the necessary preparations to ensure their own survival. But dangerous new challenges rise around Blister Creek: squatters at the reservoir seek to take the residents’ rations, a rogue government operative is trying to limit access to supplies, and a wave of fanaticism sweeping through the community is threatening to divide the followers. In the final gripping installment of the Righteous series, Jacob must decide the future of his flock—and just how much he is willing to sacrifice.