The Book of Paul -- A Paranormal Thriller

“Long’s prose is deft and clear, transporting the reader from one character’s psyche to the next...this tale is a compelling one. A psychological thriller for readers who are bored with run-of-the-mill horror...those who embrace the genre will eagerly anticipate a second installment in the series.”

— Kirkus Reviews

★★★★★“Intelligent, self-aware, and often amusing, while hitting all the markers for sadistic, salacious, and scary. Written in short cinematic bursts from multiple viewpoints,
The Book of Paul
…weaves in and out of the realm of alchemy, mythology, and ancient arcana. No ordinary writer of horror, Richard Long is doubtless going to build a large and loyal fan base composed of people just like him: literate folks with a bizarre sense of humor who prefer salsa to sugar, red meat to broccoli, and a bucket of blood to a bath filled with rose petals.”

— ForeWord Clarion Reviews

★★★★★ “Totally absorbing!
The Book of Paul
is moving, profound, funny, terrifying and never lets you go. The prose is swift and sharp... at times, even poetic. Masterful storytelling. Hats off!”

— Henry Bean –
writer/director of The Believer

★★★★★
“The Book of Paul
is a surreal spellbinding tale of terror and horror destined for bestseller status.”

— RJ Parker -
author of The Serial Killer Compendium

★★★★★ “I was greatly impressed. It is extremely hard, if not impossible,

to put down.”

— Michael Rips –
author of Pasquale’s Nose

★★★★★ “Intelligent and compelling. Elegantly written, immensely entertaining and original, Richard Long’s
The Book of Paul
is so suspenseful and entertaining that I kept on reading late into the night, wondering what the next chapter would bring. I strongly recommend it.”

— James H. Cone,
author of The Cross and the Lynching Tree

★★★★★ “Bloody brilliant peice of work that will keep you on your toes. The characters suck you into their world, digging their nasty hooks (or sickles, as the case may be) into your psyche. There’s no turning back, you have to finish it!”

— Millie Burns,
author of Return of the Crown

★★★★★ “Twisted, outrageous, relentless…you won’t want to miss it.”

— Greg Lichtenberg,
author of Playing Catch with my Mother

★★★★★
“The Book of Paul
is an astounding achievement with incredible characters of great depth, a body of near-perfect prose, wonderful pacing and a voice that will entice you. In the tradition of Clive Barker, author Richard Long has created a world that is something like we have rarely seen… joining science, magic and religion…he has done something incredible.”

— James Garcia, Jr.,
author of Dance on Fire

★★★★★ “A beautifully crafted psychological thriller, complete with a love story and relentless action.”

— Jeannie Walker,
author of Fighting the Devil

★★★★★ “ Kudos for a deliciously dark, wild rol ercoaster ride…from the beginning to the very end.”

— Alexandra Anthony,
author of The Vampire Destiny Series

★★★★★ ““Move over Dan Brown! Watch your back Clive Barker!”

— Christa Wick,
author of Texas Curves

★★★★★ “Long’s debut novel defies categorization, but that is part of the work’s brilliance. Horror, twisted romance, science fiction, mystery—this book quite literarily has it all. A great read and highly recommended!

— Daniel B. Elish,
author of The School for the Insanely Gifted

★★★★★ “A twisted, festive, life & death tale dragging us from sunlit rooms into the dark corners of our minds one hammer swing at a time.”

— Kriss Morton,
CabinGoddess

★★★★★ “An enchanting tale that will leave you spellbound with a mixture of surprise, shock, disgust, laughter, and hope. I can’t wait to read more of this series. Hats off to you Richard Long, for creating a truly worthy and delightful read.”

— Nikki McCarver,
Close Encounters of the Night Kind

★★★★★ “Richard Long is a tremendous and unique storyteller. It will take you on a wild ride…so buckle up!”

— Shelly Breninger,
Dive Under the Covers

★★★★★ “You’ll just have to read the book to find out how mind-blowing and deceptively rewarding this supernatural, psychological thriller can be.”

— Naomi Leadbeater,
Naimeless

★★★★★ “Imagine Quentin Tarantino, Brett Easton Ellis and the DaVinci Code, with a liberal sprinkling of the occult and Irish lore and you have the brilliant, powerful, thrilling, page-turner that is
The Book Of Paul.”

— Ariane Zurcher,
Emma’s Hope Book

★★★★★ “A brilliant masterpiece…I literally could not put it down. Talent like this only comes around every once in a great while and I feel like I have stumbled upon gold. By far the best novel I have read all year.”

— C. Brewer,
Batty for Books

Copyright © 2012 by Richard Long

New York, NY

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or

reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the express

written consent of the Publisher.

The Book of Paul

by Richard Long

ISBN-13: 978-0615648644

LCCN: 2012940690

FIRST PAPERBACK EDITION

Cover design: Jason Heuer

Interior design: Colin O’Brien

Author photo: Christian Woods

First and foremost my wife and partner Ariane Zurcher, who has supported, encouraged and trudged beside me down a very long road. Double thanks for all her suggestions, comments, edits and praise through countless readings, even though she always has to skip the part about Martin and Momma. My wonderful children Nic and Emma who sustain me. John Paine, my editor, who wasn’t afraid to cut my favorite parts (I’ll post them on the website). Adrienne Lombardo for asking all the right questions. Jason Heuer who knocked it out of the park with the cover design. Colin O’Brien for making the inside as compelling as the outside. Christian Woods for the baddass author photo. Steve Pagnotta, Claudia Cunningham, Henry Bean, Matthew Carnicelli, Kathy Anderson, Sloan Harris and all the early readers seduced by the gleeful villainy of Paul.

Dedicated to

ARIANE

In memory of

NORINE

He practiced smiling.

Looking in the mirror, Martin pulled up the corners of his mouth, trying to duplicate the expression of the blond-haired man on the TV with the big forehead. Something wasn’t right—the eyebrows? His eyes darted back and forth from the mirror to the television, posing, making adjust- ments here and there...lips down, more teeth...comparing...nope. After a few minutes, his face started to hurt and he gave up.