Description

Sometimes things are not as they appear, especially when religion, magic and shady dealings mix.

It’s 1908, and itinerant spirit medium Madame Ilsa von Hoffmann is at the end of her professional rope, facing down two unappealing options: join an ill-conceived commune founded by some fellow trans ex-vaudevillians, or take on a high-paying but mysterious job offered by a religious extremist in Salt Lake City. Madame Ilsa opts for Utah and the employ of one Roger Marsh who, it turns out, wants her to summon the ghost of Joseph Smith, Mormonism’s founder, to give his blessing to Marsh’s fledgling offshoot of the mainstream church.

Unsure how she’ll pull off this near-impossible task, Ilsa finds an ally in Francie Bream, an East Coast journalist in town to profile Mormon women at the dawn of the twentieth century. Bream’s motives remain obscure to Ilsa, though she begins to suspect the journalist has an agenda far more sinister than she could have imagined. Complicating the situation further are an inept and volatile henchman, a relentlessly orthodox Mormon apostle, a copper magnate with a fetish for polygamists, Marsh’s rogue third wife, and a vengeful private investigator from Ilsa’s past. As dead bodies accumulate around her, Madame Ilsa worries less and less about saving her career, and more about making it out of Salt Lake City alive.

“In T.I.M. Wirkus’s zany historical novel A Bad Deal in Mormon Land, Salt Lake City’s religious misfits hold pernicious secrets…Historical references, including to polygamy, the Industrial Workers of the World, and turn of the century séances, fold into the action. Along the way, glancing sketches of transgender characters introduce thought-provoking considerations of the lengths people go to preserve their privacy, even while they’re performing. Uneasy alliances and thrilling chases conclude the entertaining tale… A carnivalesque novel about a charlatan medium’s adventures.”—Karen Rigby, Foreword Reviews

“An engaging adventure set in the early days of Salt Lake City that offers readers an original look at politics and gender issues of the early 20th century.”—Library Journal 

“Madame Ilsa is a gem, complicated and a master of her craft. The sleight of hand she performs reinforces the skill it took for LGBTQ+ folks to survive in the early 1900s. I needed this book because it reminds me that transgender folks have always been here, living remarkable lives that required guts and a little magic to navigate. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves adventure, danger, and hope.”—Melissa Warren, Historical Novel Society

“T.I.M. Wirkus’s latest novel is energetic, suspenseful, and nearly florid. Its stylistic exuberances fit the trappings of Wirkus’s project: a tale of vaudeville and theatricality, authority and deception, crammed like a Victorian steamer trunk full of disguises, props, and pistols. A historical novel set in 1908, the book provides a highly textured glimpse into early-twentieth-century Salt Lake City and the workaday lives of performers passing through.”—McKenzie Watson-Fore, Barrelhouse Magazine

“T.I.M. Wirkus’s A Bad Deal in Mormon Land is a fun and frenetic noir that keeps you guessing til the last page. You never know who’s playing who in this twisty tale of double dealing, double crosses, and double marriages! What dark deeds are happening in this pioneering work of Utah gothic? You won’t believe them til you read them!”—Bitter Karella, author of Moonflow and Quaint Folk

“Wirkus has delivered another delicious, fun, eminently readable yet intricate puzzle of a book. Perhaps even more than in their previous novels, A Bad Deal in Mormon Land reads like an externalized version of what must be the very, very, twisty, funny, surprising convolutions of the author’s own brain. Think about it: a great brain has just given us a great, generous, brain-like book. What a gift!”—Ryan McIlvain, author of Elders 

Praise for the author:

“One of the most exciting novelists of [their] generation.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Entertaining, fun and very, very smart.”—Percival Everett, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of James

ATTENTION BOOK CLUBS!

This page-turning, unique historical fiction novel will inspire great discussions with friends, family, and your book club! We love book clubs! We’re happy to offer the following perks for yours:

• Order 8 or more copies and receive 20% off your entire order. Just add all copies to the cart in one purchase. If you have a smaller group, send us an email and we can work out a similar discount.
• Author T.I.M. Wirkus is happy to visit your book club via Zoom! Send us an email to schedule.
• Download the A Bad Deal in Mormon Land Discussion Questions sheet to facilitate conversation.