GOD IS A BULLET The feral wasteland of the southern California desert and the badlands of Mexico: these are the settings for Boston Teran's searing debut novel — a dark, wrenching thriller about personal conviction, retribution, and survival. Fall 1970. In a remote playa a twelve-year-old boy stumbles upon a hideous scene in a dust-strewn trailer: the savage murder of a woman that will remain unsolved for twenty-five years. Christmas week, 1995. A fourteen-year-old girl is kidnapped by a bloodthirsty satanic cult that calls itself the Left-Handed Path. The leader, Cyrus, considers murder the "ultimate freedom, ultimate joy...ultimate service." His "tribe" is a group of drug-fueled young psychopaths honing their skills under the tutelage of a master. Helter Skelter. And then some. Bob Hightower, the girl's father, is a cop, suddenly more desperate than he ever imagined possible. There are no clues to his daughter's whereabouts, only a scene of unfathomable carnage—the mutilated corpses of her mother and stepfather—left behind by the kidnappers. His only hope is a fierce ex-cult member named Case Hardin, a woman tempered to an extraordinary strength by what she's endured, who's just getting off the junkie trail in a halfway house in Hollywood. Bob has absolutely no reason, and every need, to trust her. Case suspects that the killings, committed within fifty miles of each other and separated by a quarter of a century, are part of a byzantine nightmare she knows too well, a nightmare that has now engulfed Bob's daughter. Their quest—he for his child, she to exorcise her demons—becomes a primal hunt-and-chase through a savagesubculture of drugs and ritualistic violence ("the black land of plenty") that takes them inexorably toward the limits of physical and psychological torment and trauma. GOD IS A BULLET is an indelible story of people who must discover what it means to surrender oneself completely — to drugs, or power, or faith, or love — and, when necessary, what it takes to come back. It is a stunning debut. * Film rights optioned by screenwriter Ehren Kruger (The Ring, Skeleton Key), who will co-produce with Daniel Bobker (The Brothers Grimm) and Bradley Bell * * Winner of the John Creasey Memorial Dagger for Best First Novel * * Short-listed for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel * Rights Information Publisher: Knopf, Hardcover (March 23, 1999) Ballantine Books, Mass market paperback (March 26, 2002) Territory: World Rights Available: Reviews: "...A shotgun thriller with the cocksure timing of a professional hit....Ambiguity is spread across all 306 pages as evenly as cake frosting." - The New York Times Book Review "tautly paced and harrowing debut thriller...the tale becomes riveting as the unlikely duo follow Cyrus and his gang to hell and back...The moral twists and turns of the searing narrative are jolting...Cynical and DeLillo-like in its observations, paced with present-tense immediacy, Teran's hard-boiled prose does not belittle the tragedy at this novel's core. Not for the faint-hearted, the book is as addictive as illegal substances." - Publishers Weekly "[A] brilliantly paced, suspense-packed...Richly imagined thriller...It’s hard not to admire god is a bullet...It’s even harder to put the book down." - The Washington Post "Smart and Stylish...A compulsive read...Within this taut, obsessive narrative, Teran also delivers finely honed character[s]." - San Francisco Chronicle "Astounding...An extraordinary debut thrill - swift, raw, and genuinely scary." - The Baltimore Sun "astonishing literary thriller...Teran’s sparse, riveting, third-person style is perfect for his dark and philosophically mesmerizing story...It’s that good: Its spreading literary reputation rests squarely on its irresistible readability...Teran creates in his characters a terrific and broadstroked encapsulation of our behavior in times of desperation...[Readers] will be drawn in by the pure poetry and clarity of Mr. Teran’s vision and the brilliance of characters and plot. In God Is a Bullet, Boston Teran has significantly upped the ante in the rarely trodden world of the legitimately literary thriller." – Dallas Morning News "I can't stop thinking about this book…well-written, jarring and irresistible. Don't miss it!" - Patrick Millikin, The Poisoned Pen Bookstore "compelling, fascinating and utterly breathtaking. When the characters slow down for a moment, their debates over the meaning of faith and truth, life and loyalty, are chilling because their grim theories resonate...Teran breaks conventions...a bold new voice in thriller fiction, and God is a Bullet should find the success Knopf's generous advance anticipated." - St. Petersburg Times "This is a fast-paced, stark narrative...The constant debate about good and evil and the meaning of life give an undercurrent of self-examination to Teran's riveting first novel." - Booklist Blurbs: "God Is A Bullet is an intense, emotional reading experience, an unrelenting thriller populated with full-bodied, deeply-drawn characters. Boston Teran locates the heart beneath the darkness and delivers something human and true." - George Pelecanos "In a word: Wow. God Is A Bullet is a shotgun blast to the gut -- a kick-ass, in-your-face tour de force from start to finish. Every page carries a fresh wallop and a nightmarish jolt. Picture Helter Skelter on steroids and then add in a wounded soul and a heart-wrenching search for salvation. Boston Teran's haunting words stay with you long after you turn the final page. I'm still stunned." - Harlan Coben, Edgar Award-winning author "God Is A Bullet defies description…Teran took me on a ferocious roller coaster ride into hell with his finger on the pulse of the devil throughout the journey. It will be a long while before I get this story and these characters out of my head. Everything about this book is perfect: the story is astounding, the characters are etched in my brain, the real-time style is riveting, and Teran’s dialogue is carved out of granite. The descriptions are as vivid as a clear-day sunset, and the climax absolutely wasted me. It is just a terrific experience." - William Diehl, best-selling author "God is a Bullet is a stunner of a suspense novel, body-slamming its way down an uncharted rocky terrain of pain, fear, horror, bravery, and redemption...Teran's voice is fresh, unique, and explosive. He has delivered a word that is too good, too important, and too painful to be ignored." - Lorenzo Carcaterra, best-selling author of Sleepers Purchase at Amazon.com

GOD IS A BULLET

The feral wasteland of the southern California desert and the badlands of Mexico: these are the settings for Boston Teran's searing debut novel — a dark, wrenching thriller about personal conviction, retribution, and survival.

Fall 1970. In a remote playa a twelve-year-old boy stumbles upon a hideous scene in a dust-strewn trailer: the savage murder of a woman that will remain unsolved for twenty-five years.

Christmas week, 1995. A fourteen-year-old girl is kidnapped by a bloodthirsty satanic cult that calls itself the Left-Handed Path. The leader, Cyrus, considers murder the "ultimate freedom, ultimate joy...ultimate service." His "tribe" is a group of drug-fueled young psychopaths honing their skills under the tutelage of a master. Helter Skelter. And then some.

Bob Hightower, the girl's father, is a cop, suddenly more desperate than he ever imagined possible. There are no clues to his daughter's whereabouts, only a scene of unfathomable carnage—the mutilated corpses of her mother and stepfather—left behind by the kidnappers. His only hope is a fierce ex-cult member named Case Hardin, a woman tempered to an extraordinary strength by what she's endured, who's just getting off the junkie trail in a halfway house in Hollywood. Bob has absolutely no reason, and every need, to trust her.

Case suspects that the killings, committed within fifty miles of each other and separated by a quarter of
a century, are part of a byzantine nightmare she knows too well, a nightmare that has now engulfed Bob's daughter. Their quest—he for his child, she to exorcise her demons—becomes a primal hunt-and-chase through a savagesubculture of drugs and ritualistic violence ("the black land of plenty") that takes them inexorably toward the limits of physical and psychological torment and trauma.

GOD IS A BULLET is an indelible story of people who must discover what it means to surrender oneself
completely — to drugs, or power, or faith, or love — and, when necessary, what it takes to come back. It is a stunning debut.

* Film rights optioned by screenwriter Ehren Kruger (The Ring, Skeleton Key), who will co-produce with Daniel Bobker (The Brothers Grimm) and Bradley Bell *

* Winner of the John Creasey Memorial Dagger for Best First Novel *
* Short-listed for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel *

Rights Information

Publisher: Knopf, Hardcover (March 23, 1999)
Ballantine Books, Mass market paperback (March 26, 2002)

Territory: World

Rights Available:

Reviews:
"...A shotgun thriller with the cocksure timing of a professional hit....Ambiguity is spread across all 306 pages as evenly as cake frosting." - The New York Times Book Review

"tautly paced and harrowing debut thriller...the tale becomes riveting as the unlikely duo follow Cyrus and his gang to hell and back...The moral twists and turns of the searing narrative are jolting...Cynical and DeLillo-like in its observations, paced with present-tense immediacy, Teran's hard-boiled prose does not belittle the tragedy at this novel's core. Not for the faint-hearted, the book is as addictive as illegal substances." - Publishers Weekly

"[A] brilliantly paced, suspense-packed...Richly imagined thriller...It’s hard not to admire god is a bullet...It’s even harder to put the book down." - The Washington Post

"Smart and Stylish...A compulsive read...Within this taut, obsessive narrative, Teran also delivers finely honed character[s]." - San Francisco Chronicle

"Astounding...An extraordinary debut thrill - swift, raw, and genuinely scary." - The Baltimore Sun

"astonishing literary thriller...Teran’s sparse, riveting, third-person style is perfect for his dark and philosophically mesmerizing story...It’s that good: Its spreading literary reputation rests squarely on its irresistible readability...Teran creates in his characters a terrific and broadstroked encapsulation of our behavior in times of desperation...[Readers] will be drawn in by the pure poetry and clarity of Mr. Teran’s vision and the brilliance of characters and plot. In God Is a Bullet, Boston Teran has significantly upped the ante in the rarely trodden world of the legitimately literary thriller." – Dallas Morning News

"I can't stop thinking about this book…well-written, jarring and irresistible. Don't miss it!" - Patrick Millikin, The Poisoned Pen Bookstore

"compelling, fascinating and utterly breathtaking. When the characters slow down for a moment, their debates over the meaning of faith and truth, life and loyalty, are chilling because their grim theories resonate...Teran breaks conventions...a bold new voice in thriller fiction, and God is a Bullet should find the success Knopf's generous advance anticipated." - St. Petersburg Times

"This is a fast-paced, stark narrative...The constant debate about good and evil and the meaning of life give an undercurrent of self-examination to Teran's riveting first novel." - Booklist

Blurbs:
"God Is A Bullet is an intense, emotional reading experience, an unrelenting thriller populated with full-bodied, deeply-drawn characters. Boston Teran locates the heart beneath the darkness and delivers something human and true." - George Pelecanos

"In a word: Wow. God Is A Bullet is a shotgun blast to the gut -- a kick-ass, in-your-face tour de force from start to finish. Every page carries a fresh wallop and a nightmarish jolt. Picture Helter Skelter on steroids and then add in a wounded soul and a heart-wrenching search for salvation. Boston Teran's haunting words stay with you long after you turn the final page. I'm still stunned." - Harlan Coben, Edgar Award-winning author

"God Is A Bullet defies description…Teran took me on a ferocious roller coaster ride into hell with his finger on the pulse of the devil throughout the journey. It will be a long while before I get this story and these characters out of my head. Everything about this book is perfect: the story is astounding, the characters are etched in my brain, the real-time style is riveting, and Teran’s dialogue is carved out of granite. The descriptions are as vivid as a clear-day sunset, and the climax absolutely wasted me. It is just a terrific experience." - William Diehl, best-selling author

"God is a Bullet is a stunner of a suspense novel, body-slamming its way down an uncharted rocky terrain of pain, fear, horror, bravery, and redemption...Teran's voice is fresh, unique, and explosive. He has delivered a word that is too good, too important, and too painful to be ignored." - Lorenzo Carcaterra, best-selling author of Sleepers

Purchase at Amazon.com