Under the Banner of Heaven: a Story of Violent Faith

Brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty insist they were commanded to kill by God. Krakauer's investigation is a meticulously researched, bone-chilling narrative of polygamy, savage violence and unyielding faith: an incisive, gripping work of non-fiction that 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

'Krakauer writes exceptionally well: as thrilling as Capote on true crime, as devastating as Nietzsche on religious fundamentalism' Scotland on Sunday

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

'Krakauer is an adept chronicler of extremists, and he's as intent on understanding religious fanatics as he was in his earlier books on exploring the obsessions of monomaniacal adventurers' Los Angeles Times

Brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty insist they were commanded to kill by God. Krakauer's investigation is a meticulously researched narrative of polygamy, savage violence and unyielding faith: a work of non-fiction that illuminates an otherwise confounding realm of human behaviour.

Subtitled, "A Story Of Violent Faith", Krakauer illuminates cases of extreme spiritual conviction, in which people believe they were commanded to kill by God. Sold over 315,000 copies in the US.