★ 03/12/2018
"Boyle is a bard of Brooklyn."
"As Amy’s old life catches up with her, the small, safe world she’s built for herself quickly unravels. Binge-worthy and gorgeously written, with prose so vivid it’s as if Boyle is taking you down streets you’ve known your entire life, The Lonely Witness will make you wonder if you can ever escape your past self, or if you’d even want to."
"Once a party girl, Amy now lives a solitary existence. This remarkable discordance is riveting, especially after Amy witnesses a murder and becomes at once traumatized by the crime and obsessed with the murderer. Amy elicits the same dark fascination as Sara Gran’s stellar neo-noir detective, Claire DeWitt. Boyle was featured in a Guardian write-up that compared him to Elmore Leonard and declared him a ‘new name to watch.’ That watching continues with this outstanding thriller."
"A powerful, character-driven suspense novel that can keep you on the edge of your seat."
Popular Culture Association
"In true noir fashion, William Boyle gives us an intimate portrait of a neighborhood in vivid, evocative prose, and explores how place and the past make us who we are. The Lonely Witness moves with unstoppable momentum, powered by Amy Falconetti's impulsive human heart. I would gladly follow her anywhere."
"When a young woman with a sordid past witnesses a murder, she finds herself fascinated by the killer and decides to track him down herself."
"The Lonely Witness is a tense, and, at times, darkly funny, thriller. Reminiscent of writers from Daniel Fuchs to George Pelecanos, it's safe to say that if you liked Gravesend , you'll love The Lonely Witness . And if you haven't read Gravesend , you will no doubt want to do so after reading The Lonely Witness ."
"In The Lonely Witness , William Boyle has created a classic noir and a classic of Brooklyn. I loved this character, this world, and this book. Boyle has written a slim, unputdownable book that gets into every dark corner in the outskirts of Brooklyn, a world no one knows better. Gravesend and the rest of outer, unknown, still-mysterious Brooklyn shine in this compulsively readable thriller."
"A ‘thread’ of suspense doesn't begin to describe the tension William Boyle has created in his novel The Lonely Witness . Amy is one of those refreshingly complex characters we see more and more of in today's novels."
"The Lonely Witness is a map of Brooklyn’s genome. Amy Falconetti is that rarest of noir characters, a woman redeemed and a redeemer. Walking in her shoes for only a few blocks is worth the price of admission."
"William Boyle has worked his way into becoming one of crime fiction’s talents. In both his short story collection and debut novel, he chronicles the battered souls of working class East Coast in a way that hits the heart without being maudlin. His second novel, The Lonely Witness , proves he is taking his skills further. What makes William Boyle’s work ring with such a strong and true voice is that he realizes for many daily life is a struggle. His writing prays for them."
Mystery People (Pick of the Month
"Boyle is from Brooklyn, and his easy familiarity with this milieu shows up on virtually every page. If you like the richly nuanced novels of George Pelecanos or Dennis Lehane, be prepared to add Boyle to your regular reading list."
"A beautifully nuanced novel that has an unhurried but compelling narrative drive, a central character you are totally invested in, and a locale—the Gravesend neighborhood in Brooklyn—that does indeed function as a major character, interacting with and psychically affecting each and every person in the book."
"A knockout combination of in-depth character work, Brooklyn atmosphere, and straight-up gritty noir. The devotion Boyle demonstrates for character, story and place is perhaps the one unadulterated emotion on display in a story imbued with ambiguous morality and loyalty."
Shelf Awareness (Starred)
"The Lonely Witness is a map of Brooklyn’s genome. Amy Falconetti is that rarest of noir characters, a woman redeemed and a redeemer. Walking in her shoes for only a few blocks is worth the price of admission."
Reed Farrel Coleman New York Times bestselling author of 'What You Break
"Once a party girl, Amy now lives a solitary existence. This remarkable discordance is riveting, especially after Amy witnesses a murder and becomes at once traumatized by the crime and obsessed with the murderer. Amy elicits the same dark fascination as Sara Gran’s stellar neo-noir detective, Claire DeWitt. Boyle was featured in a Guardian write-up that compared him to Elmore Leonard and declared him a ‘new name to watch.’ That watching continues with this outstanding thriller."
William Boyle has worked his way into becoming one of crime fiction’s talents. In both his short story collection and debut novel, he chronicles the battered souls of working class East Coast in a way that hits the heart without being maudlin. His second novel, The Lonely Witness , proves he is taking his skills further. What makes William Boyle’s work ring with such a strong and true voice is that he realizes for many daily life is a struggle. His writing prays for them.
Mystery People (Pick of the Month)
A knockout combination of in-depth character work, Brooklyn atmosphere, and straight-up gritty noir. The devotion Boyle demonstrates for character, story and place is perhaps the one unadulterated emotion on display in a story imbued with ambiguous morality and loyalty.
Shelf Awareness (starred)
Once a party girl, Amy now lives a solitary existence. This remarkable discordance is riveting, especially after Amy witnesses a murder and becomes at once traumatized by the crime and obsessed with the murderer. Amy elicits the same dark fascination as Sara Gran’s stellar neo-noir detective, Claire DeWitt. Boyle was featured in a Guardian write-up that compared him to Elmore Leonard and declared him a ‘new name to watch.’ That watching continues with this outstanding thriller.
Boyle is from Brooklyn, and his easy familiarity with this milieu shows up on virtually every page. If you like the richly nuanced novels of George Pelecanos or Dennis Lehane, be prepared to add Boyle to your regular reading list.
Amy is the epitome of The Lonely Witness , William Boyle’s second character-driven novel that explores the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and the people who inhabit them. Boyle skillfully shows how crime fiction has the ability to explore what motivates people to choose their path in life. Boyle launched his gritty vision about this section of Brooklyn, where neighbors make their own small town, in his debut, Gravesend. The Lonely Witness offers an excellent sequel with a superb plot, matched by its realistically shaped characters.
Oline Cogdil - The Associated Press
Amy is the epitome of The Lonely Witness, William Boyle’s second character-driven novel that explores the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and the people who inhabit them. Boyle skillfully shows how crime fiction has the ability to explore what motivates people to choose their path in life. Boyle launched his gritty vision about this section of Brooklyn, where neighbors make their own small town, in his debut, Gravesend. The Lonely Witness offers an excellent sequel with a superb plot, matched by its realistically shaped characters.”
A beautifully nuanced novel that has an unhurried but compelling narrative drive, a central character you are totally invested in, and a locale—the Gravesend neighborhood in Brooklyn—that does indeed function as a major character, interacting with and psychically affecting each and every person in the book.
Gravesend is a taut exploration of the ways we hurt and save (or try to save) one another. With unforgettable characters, a fist for a plot and a deeply evocative setting, Boyle navigates alleys and streets with the best of them, Lehane, Price, and Pelecanos.”
Gravesend kicks ass! An irresistible combo of an insider’s tour of Brooklyn and true and authentic 21st Century Noir. Boyle is one to watch.”
William Boyle’s Gravesend is a bruiser and a heartbreaker of a debut. With echoes of Lehane and Pelecanos but with a rhythm and poignancy all its own, it’s a gripping tale of family, revenge, the strains of the past and the losses that never leave us.”
