Jeff Guinn is an investigative non-fiction writer whose books are always readable and very informative. My review of The Last Gunfight which you can find here also lists some titles of his books I have read and links to a few reviews. The Road to Jonestown is a clearly written book about the cult led by Jim Jones and the events which led to the mass suicide in Guyana and is illuminating about their beliefs and motivations.
Waco is the story of what happened in spring 1993 when American law enforcement agencies surrounded and besieged the compound of the Branch Davidian sect led by David Koresh in Waco, Texas. I remember hearing about it at the time on the news but not having enough information to understand the context or the events – this book fills in the background and takes the reader through what happened and why.
The author shows us how the Branch Davidians were part of an established branch of the Christian church and how David Koresh became their leader. He fills us in on the background of Koresh and others who were an important part of the cult. Once the cult was established under his leadership Koresh sought to move his people away from urban areas and to make a stand-alone community.
Koresh was a man with a huge sexual appetite who “married” most of the women in the cult but there is no real evidence that there was abuse or coercion – the cult was visited by local Social Services who were happy that the children were safe. Nevertheless local law enforcement became interested in the group and saw them as a potential threat, especially as they were illegally converting weapons to become automatic. The Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agency needed to be seen to be cracking down on this type of activity and, although they had no great experience in this sort of activity, they decided to make a raid on the cult’s compound in Waco.
The author explains the reasoning behind the raid and what circumstances would have been needed for it to be successful. He also outlines clearly what went wrong and why the ATF did not abort the raid when their risk assessment told them that success would be unlikely. The ATF made decisions based on poor information and understanding of the cult and those under siege made their decisions in reaction to what they perceived was happening and why. Ultimately, the only possible outcome was tragedy.
This book is interesting and illuminating about the cult and their beliefs but also about how the law enforcement agencies got it so wrong. It doesn’t sensationalise the events at all but takes the reader through what happened from the points of view of different people who were involved. I found it compelling reading.
Anne Is Reading 
I’m not sure what constitutes evidence of abuse, but I heard one of the women speak on Radio 4–a responsible station–about her experience of his sexual and physical abuse when she was a child. She was a convincing witness.
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This is the only book I have read about these events but I suspect you are right. There would have been such an imbalance of power between Koresh and the women that it is difficult to know how there could have been true consent.
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