Linda Crew

Also available at the Benton County Historical Museum in Philomath, Oregon, and Grassroots Books in Corvallis.

Growing up in Corvallis, I was always aware of our town's weird and scandalous story of Franz Creffield and the "Holy Rollers." In researching and writing the tragedy as a novel, I have become aware of how often similar stories of religious cults and vigilante justice continue to play themselves out all across the country. The strange happenings that shook the sleepy town of Corvallis over a hundred years ago are surprisingly relevant today.

Rather than simply pass on the various "Holy Roller" rumors as has been done so often in the past, I made a point of going back to the original details as printed in the local papers of the time. Interestingly, I found little evidence for many of the most popular and salacious anecdotes.

Other research included finding out about our town of Corvallis at the turn of the century and what life was like for the women.

I studied the system of mental hospitals at the time and particularly, how easy it was for men to commit their wives and daughters for insanity.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I studied the psychology of cults. Patterns began to emerge for me in the way religious cults tend to operate, and this helped me imagine, from a surviving victim's point of view, the strange saga of Franz Creffield.