The entire Righteous series is now available with the release of book #8!
The Righteous
When a brutal murder shocks the polygamist enclave of Blister Creek, Utah, church elders call in Jacob Christianson, a medical student and the favored son of a church elder. Jacob must solve the murder while protecting his young sister Eliza from marriage to one of three old men jostling for power within the church hierarchy.
Jacob discovers that the murdered woman has been killed in accordance with secret blood oaths taken within the polygamist temple. Together with his sister, he uncovers a plot to overthrow the church leadership, with murders that reach beyond the community and into the "gentile" world. The Righteous is a heart-pounding suspense-thriller with a depth that will haunt the reader long after the last page is turned.
Praise for Michael's Work:
"Deeply engrossing! Michael Wallace delivers the thinking
man's thriller while establishing one of the freshest male
leads in crime fiction--Jacob Christianson, an aspiring doctor
and cult elder's favored son. Jacob's analytic nature has him
questioning everything, including the nature of God and the
sexist politics of polygamy. It also makes him a perfect fit
to track down a killer whose grisly crimes threaten Jacob's
community, family, and soon, his very life."
-- Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author of LIVE TO
TELL.
"Wallace authoritatively and unsparingly tears open the veil
shrouding a Utah polygamist community and its secret oaths of
blood atonement, temple sacrifice, and angels with drawn
swords. Inside we find a riveting thriller that recaptures
everything lost from the original American religion."
-- Jeffrey Anderson, National bestselling, International
Thriller Award nominated author of SLEEPER CELL.
"A first rate suspense thriller." --Red Adept Reviews. Five
stars. Indie suspense
novel of the year.
"A real page-turner. On the surface, it was a murder
mystery--and a good one--but the story was played out against
the intriguing and unusual backdrop of a fundamentalist Mormon
community." --BigAl's Books and Pals. Five stars.
"I highly recommend this very gripping thriller exposing
horrors of a religious cult." --Martha's Bookshelf
"Michael Wallace draws his characters well. I adore Eliza. I
admire her strength more than any other female character I've
read recently." --Chaos and Insanity Book Reviews
Mighty and Strong
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.
"A chilling window into life in a polygamist Utah town, where prophets still walk and nobody sits and waits for the Second Coming. Carr masterfully captures the desperation, hope, and triumph of the world of the Mighty and Strong."
-- Jeffrey Anderson, National bestselling, International Thriller Award nominated author of Sleeper Cell.
The Wicked
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.
The Blessed and the Damned
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.
Destroying Angel
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.
Hell's Fortress
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.
Blood of the Faithful
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.