BURN EVERYTHING ....THEN FORGET IT

by Boston Teran

In August 1965, a car bomb detonated outside a Bronx diner. As debris rained down, hundreds of snapshots fluttered through the smoke. One photo captured the truth of the moment: graffiti scrawled on a tenement wall-

America v America
Outcome Uncertain

That is the world of Burn Everything…Then Forget It. At its center: Viola Dash and Billy Castle - a girl born into privilege and a boy marked forever by the subway killing of his mother. Their love story becomes the pulse of a nation on the edge, in a year when idealism collided with the misguided pursuers of power and political control. Corruption was more than just social hearsay, it was a disease. Treachery hid behind polite façades, and duplicity arrived packaged as patriotism.

Viola and Billy each carry a secret inheritance: fathers whose shared, covert careers served the darkest ambitions of the nation. And now it is their children who stand in the way - Viola for what she knows, Billy for what he refuses to forget.

Burn Everything…Then Forget It seeks to reframe America's legacy of racism, covert violence, and social manipulation - and to give voice to a generation raised on hope, only to be warned by history itself: Beware of justice.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 2026

About the author

Boston Teran is the internationally acclaimed author of twelve novels, many of them translated into foreign languages. He has been named alongside great American writers like Hemingway and Larry McMurtry, as well as filmmakers John Ford and Sam Peckinpah, for his singular voice and ability to weave timely social and political themes into sweeping page turners that pierce straight into America's soul. GOD IS A BULLET, currently in film development, is considered a cult classic that has been compared to such seminal works as Joan Didion's THE WHITE ALBUM and John Ford's THE SEARCHERS. NEVER COUNT OUT THE DEAD has been called a modern equivalent of MacBeth. THE CREED OF VIOLENCE sold to Universal, with Todd Field (Little Children) set to direct and Daniel Graig in the starring role.

The author has been nominated or won over 17 awards, including The EDGAR AWARD for Best First Novel and the FOREWORD "Book of the Year Award" as well as the INTERNATIONAL IMPACT AWARD OF DUBLIN for Best Novel, the Best Novel of the Year in Japan and the John Creasy Award in England.

Reviews

[Still]

Technically this is a historical thriller involving a pair of lovers who become dissidents in 1965 America.
The Voting Rights Act is soon to become law.
The war in Southeast Asia is commencing.
The mad scientists of the military-industrial complex freelancing for the federal government are whipping up ways of administering LSD to unsuspecting test subjects.

There is a fear of infiltration by dirty commies into undermining the values of the red, white, and blue and influencing disaffected youth.
The champions of freedom against the champions of change.
Patriots at cross purposes.

Many people are killed in this book.
Much anguish is expressed over the future of America.
The novel is cloaked in a heaviness that never really resonated with me.

My assumption is that somehow upon concluding this novel, the reader should be moved.

I wasn’t.

[Literary Reviewer]

Burn Everything…Then Forget It delivers a visceral plunge into the dark underbelly of mid-century New York, seamlessly blending historical unrest with a gritty, character-driven narrative. Set against the backdrop of a changing Bronx shifting from the late 1950s to the volatile mid-1960s, the story captures an era defined by social insurrection, the Vietnam War, and deep internal fractures. It’s a gripping piece of historical noir fiction that hooks you from its opening car bomb explosion and refuses to let go. The atmosphere is thick with the scent of cheap cigarettes, grimy subway cars, and the underlying tension of a society on the brink of structural self-destruction.

At the heart of the narrative is Bill Castle, a young man haunted by the brutal 1957 subway murder of his mother, and Viola Dash, a sharp, independent woman returning home after years of schooling in Europe. As their intense romance sparks, they find themselves digging into a murky web of government conspiracies, illegal mind-control experiments, and clandestine operations. What makes this political crime thriller so compelling is how intimately the grand scale of national corruption ties directly into their own families. Their respective guardians turn out to be the state’s hidden cleanup crew, throwing the younger generation into a desperate, high-stakes fight to break free from a toxic familial legacy.

Teran handles the pacing beautifully, interweaving cinematic action with a rhythmic, pop-culture-infused backdrop. The characters navigate their dangerous world to the soundtrack of the British Invasion and classic Motown, creating a poignant contrast between the vibrant youth culture of the 1960s and the grim reality of state-sanctioned violence. The dialogue is sharp, street-smart, and unapologetically raw. Instead of relying on standard plot formulas, the book leans heavily into the psychological weight of shared trauma, showing exactly how violence echoes across decades and leaves its survivors to sort through the wreckage.

The book stands out as a haunting, atmospheric reflection on a turbulent chapter in the American psyche. It’s a story where the lines between justice and personal revenge blur completely into a dark, unforgettable climax. The recurring motif of a fractured nation summarizes a deeper, timeless truth about power, accountability, and the heavy price of truth. For readers looking for a hard-boiled mystery novel that offers both immediate tension and profound thematic depth, Teran’s work delivers a powerful and memorable journey.

[Donna Emperador]

Burn Everything... Then Forget It is a fast paced novel with lots of action, mystery, and romance. The story has several subplots that intertwine as the book progresses. The author allows the reader to make the connections without spelling everything out to soon.

The book takes place in the 50s and 60s, making references to current events of the time and popular music.

The chapters are short making it easy to read in brief snippets. However, the pace of the story makes it hard to put down.

Although the book is listed for 12-18 year olds, it may not be appropriate for younger teens due to some sexual situations. While the main characters are still in their teens, adults will enjoy this book as well for the intriguing story line.