Book Review: Brigham's Day

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Brigham's Day     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
John Gates
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Religious Fiction   Legal Setting
Walker, Jul 2000, $23.95, 204 pp.

Attorney Brigham Bybee once walked with the state's elite. In those days, he would never set foot in a place like Kanab, Utah, as the only city in the state is Salt Lake. However, that was then and this is now and Brigham is divorced and an alcoholic with no future. Thus, Brigham agrees to assist the defense team as they defend drifter Owen Parks accused of killing a former local bishop Douglas Farnsworth.

Though no one expects much of him in what is apparently an airtight case (the accused took a picture of the scene) Brigham begins to investigate the murder. To his shock, he begins to unravel a totally different scenario than that painted by the police and prosecutor. Instead, Brigham begins to believe that his client is a victim of a conspiracy linked to a mass murder over a century ago that if ever revealed would shake the Mormon Church.

BRIGHAM'S DAY is an exciting legal thriller that provides the audience insight into Mormon history and beliefs. The story line is fast-paced and Brigham is a cynical antihero. Several subplots such as an unnecessary romantic interlude detour the main tale, but John Gates' novel is worth reading because of its fine focus on the Mormon lifestyle inside a well-designed legal thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner