Seven Wives #1

Forty-nine witnesses, seven wives, one dead husband. On Monday, April 17, at 9:04 a.m., two police detectives are dispatched to investigate a death on a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints compound in remote Arizona. Matthew Dunn, the patriarch of the Dunn family, has been found stabbed on the pulpit of his temple, basking in the blood-soaked gaze of his savior. Detectives Aguilar and Halwell begin the arduous task of questioning each of Matthew’s seven wives and quickly encounter a brick wall of memorized Scripture, canned platitudes, and locked lips. It becomes clear that the women’s intricately braided hair, voices with sweet affectations, and modest clothing aren’t just signs of Matthew’s brainwashing but armor they use to protect their family. But with each interrogation, the cracks begin to show — the abuse, the truth of living and surviving in this cult — and the detectives uncover the unholy gospel of Matthew Dunn.