T.I.M. Wirkus | A Bad Deal in Mormon Land

T.I.M. Wirkus is coming to The King's English Bookshop on Friday, October 23, to talk about their new book, A Bad Deal in Mormon Land. Wirkus describes it as a Utah gothic, and that's a good shorthand for what's inside: it's a historical mystery set in 1908 Salt Lake City, and it doesn't shy away from the city's specific religious and social history.

The story follows Madame Ilsa von Hoffmann, an itinerant spirit medium who takes a high-paying job from a religious extremist. The task is a strange one: summon the ghost of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, and have him bless the man's fledgling offshoot of the mainstream church. Along the way, she finds an ally in Francie Bream, an East Coast journalist in town to profile Mormon women at the dawn of the twentieth century. It's a pairing that puts two outsiders side by side as they navigate a city that's very much in transition.

Von Hoffmann doesn't get a quiet ride, either. She's pursued by a whole cast of characters: an inept henchman, an orthodox Mormon apostle, a copper magnate, the rogue third wife of a man named Marsh, and a vengeful private investigator from her own past. Between the spiritualist angle and the tangle of local power players, it's a mystery that leans into the gothic side of the city's early days.

The evening is a ticketed, in-person event that runs from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, so you'll want to set aside about two hours. Signed copies of the book are available to buy at the shop, so if you're planning to get one, it's a good time to do it. The King's English is at 1511 South 1500 East in Salt Lake City.