★ 2023-05-09
A cache of diamonds is the MacGuffin of Murphy's second novel, in which two former lovers plan a heist in the faded Massachusetts beach town of Onset.
Jack Betancourt, whose job is stashing all manner of fugitives in safe housing and moving them across state lines with new identities, is lured into a supposedly can't-miss scheme by his ex-girlfriend Elena, a rising New York attorney whom he hasn't seen in seven years. The plan is to break into the home safe of a colleague of Elena's and substitute fake stones for gems that are worth millions. “You only have to conceive of a thing as yours,” says Elena, a born hustler. “That’s what a good theft is.” A low-key operator living in the shadow of his ex-spy father, who started the relocation business, Jack does his job according to the rules, however cruel they may be. Boasting a law degree himself—from Harvard—he is most in his element playing basketball. When he and Elena and the crew they put together for the heist run into a patch of bad luck, they respond with uncommon cool. “It has nothing to do with money,” says Elena. Jack says he believes her but only because “it was a nice night and I didn't want to spoil anything.” A kind of flip noir, Murphy’s follow-up to An Honest Living (2022) has a subtle off-center quality that niftily evades crime-fiction formulas. Only when Jack knowingly transports an innocent teenage boy to a grisly end does the underlying darkness break through—and the once-monied Onset, “kind of a Big Rock Candy Mountain for lowlifes and runners,” reveals itself as a toxic setting for locals and temporary visitors alike.
A shrewd, offbeat original.
A twisty, enthralling heist yarn . . . [Murphy] deftly conjures a universe of hucksters and operators that’s sodden with atmosphere, crisscrossed with shadows (literal and moral) and loaded with the threat of a double cross any time . . . Through it all, Murphy’s language is precise and evocative, with nary a word set wrong. . . . smart and satisfying.”
—The New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice
“A perfect summer escape . . . Dwyer Murphy's novel The Stolen Coast would make a perfect noir, especially if Golden Age idols Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer could be resurrected to play the leads. There's a real Out of the Past vibe to this moody tale of a femme fatale who returns to trouble the life of the guy she left behind and perhaps set him up for a final fall. . . . Murphy has the lonely saxophone notes of noir down cold in his writing.”
—Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air
“Fabulous characters and dialogue so sharp, you’re going to be cutting your fingers whipping through the pages.”
—Brad Thor, The TODAY Show, Best Beach Read of 2023
“A shifty, sleepy Massachusetts harbor town becomes the front for an epic and unpredictable jewelry heist in this noir page-turner. Oceans, who?”
—Harper's Bazaar
“Atmospheric and transportive, fans of classic hard-boiled noir will want to put The Stolen Coast on the top of their to-be-read list.”
—Parade
“[A] stylish New England noirish thriller.”
—The Washington Post
“[A] thriller of a crime novel . . . ”
—Time.com, 10 Best Books You Should Read in July
“Murphy seamlessly moves The Stolen Coast into a solid plot about con games, heists and disappearances . . . His breezy style keeps The Stolen Coast churning, adding levity when the plot turns dark while serving the labyrinth story. Murphy’s elegant plotting, established in his 2022 debut An Honest Living, shows he is an author to watch.”
—Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Dwyer Murphy’s The Stolen Coast reads like coming upon a favorite Robert Mitchum movie late at night and getting swept up in its aura of creeping danger and looming, romantic regret. With rich, complicated characters, a serpentine plot, and atmosphere to burn, this is neo-noir at its elegiac best."
—Megan Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of The Turnout
“I loved the dark, twisty world that Dwyer Murphy conjures in The Stolen Coast, which is as smart and stylish a crime novel as any fan of noir and basketball (or mussels and jewelry heists, for that matter) could ever want.”
—Jess Walter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins
“The morally ambiguous rogues, con artists, and thieves of The Stolen Coast would’ve most surely brought a smile to the late, great George V. Higgins. There is so much to love here, including a setting that reminded me of the broken coastal towns with dark, dirty secrets that Robert B. Parker often wrote about. This is a terrific, atmospheric crime novel by a writer with a deep love and appreciation of the form.”
—Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of Robert B. Parker's Bye Bye Baby and The Heathens
"Set in the grimy seaside milieu of Massachusetts' south coast, The Stolen Coast is a riveting heist thriller, witty and lyrical and tough."
—Peter Swanson, New York Times bestselling author of Eight Perfect Murders
"The Stolen Coast is a wonderful heist novel, unique and compelling, set in a town full of shifty operators and fugitives. Murphy's rich, fluid prose infuses every page with salty sea air and a rueful sort of romance. I loved my sojourn in Onset, Massachusetts."
—Steph Cha, author of Your House Will Pay
“This atmospheric heist thriller from CrimeReads editor Murphy proves that genre readers really can have it all: terrific characterization, an intricate plot, and stylish writing to boot . . . Murphy’s spare, polished prose carries a touch of Elmore Leonard and a whisper of Ernest Hemingway, but in balancing those influences he locates a style all his own. Strong characters, sharp wit, breathless action, and real emotional depth make this exceptional neo-noir sing.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[The Stolen Coast] niftily evades crime-fiction formulas . . . A shrewd, offbeat original.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“[A] terrific heist novel. The author nails all aspects of the genre, from the intriguing characters to the complicated plan, the twists and turns and reversals, and a lean, mean writing style. . . . Murphy obviously loves what he’s writing about, which means we love reading him. For fans of heist and caper stories, this one’s a must-read.”
—Booklist
“Dwyer’s prose is direct and straightforward, but with an air of the fanciful. He is a watercolorist when it comes to genre and style—the allusions and frameworks are all visible, but he doesn’t lay them on thick. . . . I can’t think of a better combination for Dwyer’s stylings than a heist novel set along the misty, craggy seaside.”
—LitHub, The 28 Novels You Need to Read This Summer
Robert Petkoff is the perfect narrator for this quirky heist novel. Despite his Harvard law degree, Jack Betancourt is a people mover. When questionable people like mobsters, crooks, or others in dire straits need to disappear, Jack is their go-to guy. His ex-girlfriend, Elena, herself a shady operator, returns to Onset, Jack's tiny Massachusetts beach town, with a daring plan to break into a safe holding millions in diamonds and substitute fake diamonds for the real thing. Petkoff is so good that when Elena's plan hits a major stumbling block and the atmosphere grows ominous, he captures every nuance and subtlety of author Murphy's stylish writing. Well-defined characters; an attention-grabbing, highly original plot; and Petkoff's superb performance make this an audiobook not to miss. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Robert Petkoff is the perfect narrator for this quirky heist novel. Despite his Harvard law degree, Jack Betancourt is a people mover. When questionable people like mobsters, crooks, or others in dire straits need to disappear, Jack is their go-to guy. His ex-girlfriend, Elena, herself a shady operator, returns to Onset, Jack's tiny Massachusetts beach town, with a daring plan to break into a safe holding millions in diamonds and substitute fake diamonds for the real thing. Petkoff is so good that when Elena's plan hits a major stumbling block and the atmosphere grows ominous, he captures every nuance and subtlety of author Murphy's stylish writing. Well-defined characters; an attention-grabbing, highly original plot; and Petkoff's superb performance make this an audiobook not to miss. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
