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Linda Sillitoe and Allen D. Roberts have recently completed their long-awaited book [Salamander: The Story of the Mormon Forgery Murders] on Mark Hofmann, the man who murdered two people and forged Mormon documents. Although we feel that it is unfortunate that the authors have preserved some improper language used by investigators in the case, that is the worst criticism that we can make of the book. Many people felt that since Sillitoe and Roberts were Mormons, they could not write an objective book about the subject. We are happy to report that these fears have been proven groundless. The authors have, in fact, been very objective in their treatment of this sensitive subject.

Not only have they dealt with the mysterious presence of Church Security in the case just after the bombings, but they have also brought to light the fact that the investigators felt church leaders were not telling the truth with regard to certain aspects of the case. For example, on page 129, they report the following concerning an interview investigators had with Gordon B. Hinckley, a member of the First Presidency:

Afterwards, Mike George left Hinckley’s office unexpectedly angry. When he interviewed a bandit he expected lies, not when he interviewed a respected citizen and church leader. He soon realized, however, that his anger was simple—his fellow investigators, born and raised Mormons, were furious.

In addition to the excellent research of Sillitoe and Roberts, the document expert, George J. Throckmorton, has a section showing what his examination “of twenty-one Hofmann documents” revealed.

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