Tom Kizzia knew the saga of Papa Pilgrim inside and out.
As the former statewide reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, Kizzia covered the story of Robert Hale, aka Papa Pilgrim.
He covered Hale's long battle with federal officials over access to his home in a national park and the Pilgrim's frontier lifestyle.
But there was a darker side to Hale, which Kizzia details with a deft touch in his new book, "Pilgrim's Wilderness, A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier" (Crown Publishers).
Hale died in prison in 200 after pleading no contest to charges of rape, assault and incest.
With interviews with Hale's wife and some of the older children, the book delves into what life was like for them with Papa Pilgrim.