The Stolen Coast: A Novel (Hardcover)
Adrift in a sleepy coastal Massachusetts town, a man who ferries fugitives by day gets twisted up in a plot to pilfer diamonds in this Casablanca-infused heist novel.
Jack might be a polished, Harvard-educated lawyer on paper, but everyone in the down-at-the-heels, if picturesque, village of Onset, Massachusetts, knows his real job: moving people on the run from powerful enemies. The family business—co-managed with his father, a retired spy—is smooth sailing, as they fill up Onset’s holiday homes during the town’s long, drowsy off-season and help clients shed their identities in preparation for fresh starts.
But when Elena, Jack’s former flame—a dedicated hustler who's no stranger to the fugitive life—makes an unexpected return to town, her arrival upends Jack’s routine existence. Elena, after all, doesn’t go anywhere without a scheme in mind, and it isn’t long before Jack finds himself enmeshed in her latest project: intercepting millions of dollars’ worth of raw diamonds before they’re shipped overseas.
Infusing a fast-paced plot with sharp wit and stylish prose, CrimeReads editor-in-chief Dwyer Murphy serves up an irresistible page-turner as full of heart as it is of drama.
Jack might be a polished, Harvard-educated lawyer on paper, but everyone in the down-at-the-heels, if picturesque, village of Onset, Massachusetts, knows his real job: moving people on the run from powerful enemies. The family business—co-managed with his father, a retired spy—is smooth sailing, as they fill up Onset’s holiday homes during the town’s long, drowsy off-season and help clients shed their identities in preparation for fresh starts.
But when Elena, Jack’s former flame—a dedicated hustler who's no stranger to the fugitive life—makes an unexpected return to town, her arrival upends Jack’s routine existence. Elena, after all, doesn’t go anywhere without a scheme in mind, and it isn’t long before Jack finds himself enmeshed in her latest project: intercepting millions of dollars’ worth of raw diamonds before they’re shipped overseas.
Infusing a fast-paced plot with sharp wit and stylish prose, CrimeReads editor-in-chief Dwyer Murphy serves up an irresistible page-turner as full of heart as it is of drama.
Dwyer Murphy is the author of An Honest Living, a New York Times Editors' Choice selection, and the editor-in-chief of CrimeReads, Literary Hub's crime fiction vertical and the world’s most popular destination for thriller readers. He practiced law at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York City, where he was a litigator, and served as editor of the Columbia Law Review. He was previously an Emerging Writer Fellow at the Center for Fiction.
“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 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
“[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
“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
“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
"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
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[The Stolen Coast] niftily evades crime-fiction formulas . . . A shrewd, offbeat original.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“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
“[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
“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
“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
"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