A LitHub Most Anticipated Book of Summer
"The Churchgoer is a wonderful debut novel from a writer with more than a few tricks up his sleeve."--Los Angeles Times
A haunting debut literary noir about a former pastor's search to find a missing woman in the toxic, contradictory underbelly of southern California.
"He was finished with church, with God, with all of it. But to find the girl, he has to go back."
In Mark Haines's former life, he was an evangelical youth pastor, a role model, and a family man--until he abandoned his wife, his daughter, and his beliefs. Now he's marking time between sunny days surfing and dark nights working security at an industrial complex. His isolation is broken when Cindy, a charming twenty-two-year old drifter he sees hitchhiking on the Pacific Coast Highway, hustles him for a breakfast and a place to crash--two cynical kindred spirits.
Then his co-worker is murdered in a robbery gone wrong and Cindy disappears on the same night. Haines knows he should let it go and return to his safe life of solitude. Instead, he's driven to find out where Cindy went, under stranger and stranger circumstances. Soon Mark is chasing leads, each one taking him back into a world where his old life came crashing down--into the seedier side of southern California's drug trade and ultimately into the secrets of an Evangelical megachurch where his past and his future are about to converge. What begins as an investigation becomes a haunting mystery and a psychological journey both for Mark, and for the elusive young stranger he won't let get away.
Set in the early 2000s, The Churchgoer is a gripping noir, a quiet subversion of the genre, and a powerful meditation on belief, morality, and the nature of evil in contemporary life.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
In Mark Haines's former life, he was an evangelical youth pastor, a role model, and a family man--until he abandoned his wife, his daughter, and his beliefs. Now he's marking time between sunny days surfing and dark nights working security at an industrial complex. His isolation is broken when Cindy, a charming twenty-two-year-old drifter he sees hitchhiking on the Pacific Coast Highway, hustles him for breakfast and a place to crash--two cynical kindred spirits.
Then his coworker is murdered in a robbery gone wrong, and Cindy disappears on the same night. Haines knows he should let it go and return to his safe life of solitude. Instead, he's driven to find out where Cindy went, under stranger and stranger circumstances. Soon Mark is chasing leads, each one taking him back into the world where his old life came crashing down--the seedier side of Southern California's drug trade and ultimately into the secrets of an evangelical megachurch where his past and future are about to converge.
What begins as an investigation becomes a haunting mystery and a psychological journey both for Mark and for the elusive young stranger he won't let get away.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Book Description Condition: New. . Seller Inventory # 52GZZZ00C17C_ns
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Paperback. Publisher overstock, may contain remainder mark on edge. Seller Inventory # 9780062864109B
Book Description Softcover. Condition: new. A LitHub Most Anticipated Book of Summer"The Churchgoer isn't a typical noir novel--it's a smart new twist on the genre. Defiantly original and faithful to its literary predecessors--the novel's pacing is perfect." --Michael Schaub, Los Angeles TimesA haunting debut literary noir about a former pastor's search to find a missing woman in the toxic, contradictory underbelly of southern California."He was finished with church, with God, with all of it. But to find the girl, he has to go back." In Mark Haines's former life, he was an evangelical youth pastor, a role model, and a family man--until he abandoned his wife, his daughter, and his beliefs. Now he's marking time between sunny days surfing and dark nights working security at an industrial complex. His isolation is broken when Cindy, a charming twenty-two-year old drifter he sees hitchhiking on the Pacific Coast Highway, hustles him for a breakfast and a place to crash--two cynical kindred spirits. Then his co-worker is murdered in a robbery gone wrong and Cindy disappears on the same night. Haines knows he should let it go and return to his safe life of solitude. Instead, he's driven to find out where Cindy went, under stranger and stranger circumstances. Soon Mark is chasing leads, each one taking him back into a world where his old life came crashing down--into the seedier side of southern California's drug trade and ultimately into the secrets of an Evangelical megachurch where his past and his future are about to converge. What begins as an investigation becomes a haunting mystery and a psychological journey both for Mark, and for the elusive young stranger he won't let get away.Set in the early 2000s, The Churchgoer is a gripping noir, a quiet subversion of the genre, and a powerful meditation on belief, morality, and the nature of evil in contemporary life. Seller Inventory # DADAX0062864106
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780062864109
Book Description Condition: New. Brand New. Seller Inventory # 9780062864109
Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition 0.62. Seller Inventory # bk0062864106xvz189zvxnew
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published 0.62. Seller Inventory # 353-0062864106-new
Book Description Paperback or Softback. Condition: New. The Churchgoer 0.6. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9780062864109