Behind the perfect smiles lay a house of horror.

Ruby Franke was once the face of a "model Mormon family." Millions tuned in to her YouTube channel 8 Passengers for parenting tips, scripture-inspired discipline, and the illusion of wholesome family life. But behind the carefully curated façade lurked something far darker. Children starved until they repented. Confessions were forced under threat. Beds were replaced with floors. Duct tape silenced rebellion.

And at the heart of it all was Jodi Hildebrandt - a licensed therapist whose twisted teachings of "truth versus distortion" turned faith into a weapon and obedience into enslavement. Together, Ruby and Jodi built an echo chamber of control, where religion masked cruelty and love was rationed like food.

When a malnourished child escaped barefoot into a quiet Utah neighborhood, begging for water, the mask shattered. What followed was a courtroom reckoning - and a chilling revelation of how blind trust, parasocial influence, and faith distorted into fanaticism can become the perfect breeding ground for abuse.

In Ruby and Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence - The Mormon True Story of Abuse, Manipulation, and the Dark Power That Enslaved a Family, investigative narrative nonfiction collides with psychological thriller. Drawing on court documents, survivor testimony, and chilling parallels to cases like Lori Vallow and the FLDS, this book peels back the layers of illusion to expose how ordinary homes can become cages, and how authority - unchecked - can turn into sin.

This is not just the story of Ruby and Jodi. It is the story of the world that believed them.

If you think abuse always hides in the shadows, this book will force you to face a darker truth: sometimes, it thrives in the spotlight.