Susan Ashline's Blog, page 2

January 10, 2020

Mom in Cult Killing Getting Out of Prison

Debi Leonard will be released from prison next Thursday.

She was given a sentence of five years prison, plus five years parole for her role in the beating death of son Lucas Leonard, 19, in the Word of Life cult outside of Utica -- the story chronicled in my book, Without a Prayer: The Death of Lucas Leonard and How One Church Became a Cult.

Without a Prayer: The Death of Lucas Leonard and How One Church Became a Cult

Debi's release date is listed officially as January 18 (Saturday), 2020. But New York prisons don't release on weekends. And since she's going on parole, release will likely be Thursday (and not Friday), to get her ready for parole.
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Published on January 10, 2020 07:44 Tags: cults, nonfiction, susan-ashline, true-crime, without-a-prayer

January 9, 2020

My Visit with Bruce Leonard

**SPOILERS**

In a max prison in northern New York, a father is serving time for his role in killing his teenage son inside a cult known as Word of Life.

Click here to read my thoughts on meeting him.


Without a Prayer: The Death of Lucas Leonard and How One Church Became a Cult
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Published on January 09, 2020 17:43 Tags: cults, nonfiction, susan-ashline, true-crime, without-a-prayer

January 6, 2020

Was There a Peephole?

*SPOILERS*

If you've read Without a Prayer, you might be interested in my thoughts about the peephole.

Was there a “peephole” in the Leonard bathroom? And did brothers Lucas, 19, and Christopher, 17, use it to watch family members take showers?

Click here to read my thoughts about it.

Without a Prayer: The Death of Lucas Leonard and How One Church Became a Cult
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Published on January 06, 2020 07:02 Tags: cults, nonfiction, susan-ashline, true-crime, without-a-prayer

January 2, 2020

Contents of Cult Go KABOOM!

On the anniversary of Lucas Leonard’s death, we dumped structures formerly part of the Word of Life cult into a burn bin and lit them up. Oh, how good it felt.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT IT

Without a Prayer: The Death of Lucas Leonard and How One Church Became a Cult
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Published on January 02, 2020 09:57 Tags: cults, nonfiction, susan-ashline, true-crime, without-a-prayer

January 1, 2020

December 31, 2019

Without a Prayer Now an Audio Book

Without a Prayer: The Death of Lucas Leonard and How One Church Became a Cultis now an audiobook: https://www.amazon.com/Without-Prayer...

Pre-order now. The release date is January 14, 2020.

Without a Prayer: The Death of Lucas Leonard and How One Church Became a Cult

Susan Ashline
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Published on December 31, 2019 06:55 Tags: cults, nonfiction, susan-ashline, true-crime, without-a-prayer

November 19, 2019

July 28, 2019

Library Journal Gives Without a Prayer a STARRED REIVEW!

Library Journal, one of the "big four" literary trade journals, gives Without a Prayer the prestigious starred review: "Ashline skillfully unfolds the events in a compassionate, thoughtful voice."

"VERDICT Readers interested in true crime and cults will be enthralled by this expertly rendered tale of extremism."

Read the full review.
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Published on July 28, 2019 15:01

Booklist calls Without a Prayer "captivating read!"

Booklist, one of the Big Four literary trade journals, gives Without a Prayer a stellar review, calling it a "compelling story."

"Readers looking for a cult origin story will find this a captivating read."

Read the full review.

Without a Prayer: The Death of Lucas Leonard and How One Church Became a Cult

Susan Ashline
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Published on July 28, 2019 07:16

July 18, 2019

Publisher's Weekly Gives Without a Prayer a STARRED REIVEW!

Publishers Weekly gives Without a Prayer the coveted starred review. It is awarded to a small percentage of books to indicate works of exceptional merit.

PW calls Without a Prayer an "excellent debut."

"Meticulously researched, this is a gripping account, but it’s not for the faint-hearted."

Read the full review here.
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Published on July 18, 2019 07:26