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"Sam Starnes has crafted a beguiling, often hilarious tale of two American seekers who end up finding truths they hadn't imagined on a bus ride through the desert. Their individual stories are spun in rich, evocative prose that takes the reader into a world of radio evangelists who fall far short of practicing what they preach. Just when we think we understand these sinners comes a shocking denouement that makes us wonder if it's only coincidence that we meet the significant people in our lives. This is one of those novels that resonates long after the final page," said Alice Elliott Dark, author of "In the Gloaming," a short story selected by John Updike for the Best American Short Stories of the Century, and the novel Think of England.

Reviews of this book

"Starnes has written an entertaining and sometimes transcendent Southern Gothic novel worthy of his literary forebear, the late Larry Brown." —Rain Taxi

"A top-notch novel in the tradition of Harry Crews...big plot turns that will keep readers turning pages." —Athens Banner-Herald

"A hard-to-put-down tale...made me think of a Frederick Buechner work, but edgier." —The Charlotte Observer