Gun Church - Hardcover

Coleman, Reed Farrel

3.66

237 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1440551707 ISBN 13: 9781440551703

Publisher: Gallery Books, 2012

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Once a literary wunderkind, author Kip Weiler now teaches creative writing at Brixton County Community College—a third-rate school in a rural mining town. But when he saves his class from a potential bloodbath, he is initiated by two of his students into a cult-like group that worships the essential nature of handguns, and rekindles his long-absent creative spark.

But as Weiler's involvement with the cult deepens and the end of his novel is in sight, the lines between art and life blur until they become unrecognizable. In this church, there's no need for red wine or wafers. In Gun Church, the blood and bodies are for real.

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About the Author:

Reed Farrel Coleman is a New York Times bestselling author that has been called a "hard-boiled poet" by NPR's Maureen Corrigan and the "noir poet laureate" in The Huffington Post. He has published more than twenty-five previous novels, including novels in Robert Parker’s Jesse Stone series, the critically acclaimed Moe Prager series, and the Gus Murphy series. A three-time winner of the Shamus Award, he has also won the Anthony, Macavity, Barry, and Audie Awards. He lives with his family on Long Island.

From Booklist:

*Starred Review* Kip Weiler achieves dizzying success in the writing world of 1980s New York, then squanders it with an equally dizzying display of addictions. Dropped by his publisher, Kip banishes himself to a teaching position at Brixton County Community College. There he safely avoids most of his addictions but seems to have lost his word magic. From nowhere, a gun-wielding student takes the class hostage, and Kip shocks everyone by pouncing on the gun and freeing his students. Among those students is the leader of a secretive group that worships the power of the gun, and his gratitude nets Kip an introduction to a creepily exhilarating religious experience. He soon begins chasing another high, learning to shoot so that he can survive the church’s rituals. With his adrenaline pumping, Kip is writing better than ever, using the church as creative inspiration to reclaim his former life. Unfortunately, he doesn’t understand that, even with his book finished, he won’t just be allowed to leave the gun church. Coleman skillfully places the reader on the narrator’s shoulder as he self-destructs, and we bite our lips against warning screams. Kip’s incessant wallowing doesn’t make for an instantly appealing character, but readers will respond to the atmospheric, shrewdly crafted story. (And, honestly, who doesn’t love a bit of schadenfruede?) An ultradark exploration of the union of narcissism and group psychology, recommended especially to those who loved Erin Kelly’s The Poison Tree (2011). --Christine Tran

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