The Stolen Coast: A Novel

by Dwyer Murphy

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.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Thriller, Audiobook, Contemporary

288 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 2023

About the author

Dwyer Murphy is the author of An Honest Living and The Stolen Coast, both of which were New York Times Editors' Choice selections. He is the editor in chief of Literary Hub's CrimeReads vertical, the world’s most popular destination for thriller readers, and was previously an Emerging Writer Fellow at the Center for Fiction.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6/5 stars. This book is if someone took Nick Caraway and put him in a cozy heist novel. There’s a bit of Fitzgerald, a dash of Hemingway, and a wandering plot a la McCarthy. Wasn’t riveted, slightly bored at times, and real glad it was only a 7-hour audiobook. Could have used a little more action, but I loved Murphy’s sense of the Cape and New England. It’s clear he’s a real townie ✊🏼

[Stephanie Bontemps · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish the book as it was such a slog. Nothing really happens in the first quarter of the book so that’s when I threw in the towel. Flat characters. Dull prose. How did this get published?

[Cherise Wolas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed Murphy's debut novel, An Honest Living, with its atmosphere and quasi-noirish qualities, and its main character, a former lawyer turned private detective and so I was looking forward to reading his second foray, The Stolen Coast. Alas, I found it lacking, in characters to hang onto, in the lackadaisical action, in the murkiness of the narrator's business - a business he runs with his half-retired father - hiding away and moving to safe places people looking for a way out of their lives, away from crimes they might have committed, and so on. Into this comes Elena, the narrator's one-time girlfriend with plans for a diamond heist. For me, it lacked intrigue, interest and propulsion but I appreciate what Dwyer is trying to do.

Thanks to Penguin Group Viking and Netgalley for an ARC.

[Slowreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story would have so much been better with some rising tension, a climax, a resolution and finally, a point.

[V · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a long time CrimeReads newsletter reader I was looking forward to Dwyer Murphy’s debut novel. It wasn’t quite what I’d hoped for. It is more noir than mystery and I usually enjoy that genre. One of my pet leaves is not having a name for the primary character for many chapters, it’s so annoying! And I still don’t quite understand the nature of his business enterprise. It was all very vague. If I had not visited the New England coast many times I wouldn’t have understood the quaint cottage summer rental concept at all. Basically they’re just old, pricey and the Atlantic is freezing even in the summer. The story’s regional descriptions were sparse and lacking authenticity for me. Ambiguity is only interesting if you have enough information to fill in the understated implications.
The protagonist’s spy father was a character who held my interest, while I felt nothing for his son. He fell flat, I needed more to like or dislike him. His friend, Tommy, was more relatable and realistic. I don’t even like basketball and the pick-up games were still more meaningful than rest. His old flame, Elena, is full of ambition, spunk and has aspirations. She’s going places and her objectives were clear. The plan she devised to steal rough diamonds from an acquaintance was an obvious con. I loved the diamond heist concept, wasn’t surprised by the ending. I do not intend to be harsh or critical, the plot simply didn’t do it for me, it was disappointing. I would consider the author’s future endeavors.
This digital advance reader copy of “The Stolen Coast” by Dwyer Murphy, Penguin Random House, was provided by NetGalley. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without expectation for any compensation.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and snappy and reads kind of like a single episode of a heist/light crime tv show.

I’m not sure why so many readers thought this was supposed to be Noir, when neither the tone nor the bulk of the plot matches that. It’s much lighter (in a good way, in my opinion), and also much lower stakes stuff than most Noir tends to be.

There isn’t a lot of action-driven excitement in the story and I think it could have done with a bit more, but the plot was fine and I greatly enjoyed the setting and the humor.

The Casablanca comp in the publishers summary is quite a reach, but it’s a fun story and would make a good beach read if you like your crime novels to be more amusing than dark.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noir? More like (Australian accent) nooooo!

Seriously though: the writing set an immaculately atmospheric scene, but beautiful language can’t lift a boring story out of haplessness. What was the point? I don’t need to learn something with every book but I don’t even know how I’m supposed to *feel* about the story of the characters……

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Mr. Murphy, I adore your Crimereads blog but I think your books are just not for me. The writing is good but the plot too languid and too focused on a sense of place rather than characters.

[Emma Zucati · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the slow meandering of this book. We took our time, much like the sleepiness of the town, but always with an undercurrent of something on the horizon.

[Marla · Rating 1 out of 5]

what a boring read. lacking in characters, suspense and the promise of mystery- total dud in my opinion.

[Owen Erpelding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good I guess but the characters don’t really develop, the climax isn’t that fun and the ending feels a bit lazy

[LilBib’Phile · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand why some reviewers said that this book didn’t have a lot of action - it didn’t. But it had a dreamy quality that I enjoyed and I felt it was well-written.

[Michael Dean Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to begin by acknowledging the range of reviews for this controversial novel. The controversy arises from the mix of unseemly characters and constant misdirection by those characters, especially among themselves. No one ever really tells the truth; and when they do, the value of such a truth is always subject to change. Nothing is ever what it seems to be. It is a libertarians paradise, with apologies to Mr. Mayberry ;)

So, individual desire, fulfillment, and above all survival dominate the thematic and plot structures of The Stolen Coast. One thing that towards the end the reader gets an introduction to is the craft of moving and creating new identities for the clients of the main character. Even here, the craft is more what is not said, than what is revealed. The general parameters are in the book, however, craft secrets remain obscured. This places demands on the writer to raise his craft to a level of excellence, thus avoiding audience disapproval. Well, most audience disapproval. :)

The craft of misdirection both in what the author reveals about characters and plots, inviting more plot twists than one might otherwise expect, Yes, some readers never get enough plot twists; acknowledged. and the egotistic need to deceive anyone, motivates author, readers, and characters alike. It is the craft, not material reward that motivates. So, my next read is How Magicians Think, which seems a natural follow up to this perplexing novel.

While others deem it 2, 3, 4, or for some 5 stars, I came away with enough to merit, for me, Four Stars ****

[Annie Huesing · Rating 2 out of 5]

kept hoping something would happen and literally nothing ever did. it was written like it was a narration of an Oceans movie, but with parts randomly missing/left out

[Lisa A Morris · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was such a disappointment, just no compelling story, characters or anything. I think the only book I’ve liked less was Life of Pi. I was waiting for something—ANYTHING—to happen. I just totally disliked this book.

[Jess Manners · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I liked this more than his first? Mostly because I went into it expecting it to be more about the Chandler-esque vibes than the actual plot. There IS a plot, but it all feels sort of...at a remove. It's centered around a MacGuffin (as it should be, I suppose), and people tend to talk in elliptical ways...Not sure I ever really liked Elena, but the other characters were all fun.
Weirdly, the thing that stood out to me the most was that I was continually surprised to learn that characters were outside. It didn't matter one way or another, but I had been picturing an interior, and then the narrator would make it clear that I was wrong. Let's go ahead and say that's a metaphor for my reading of this book in general. Or maybe not!

[R L HERSKOWITZ]

Disappointing :(
Seamed like a stream of consciousness writing.

[Chris Brook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought this was pleasant and brisk heist novel. Haven't read many of them - I'm sure there are more complex and thrilling tales - but didn't mind hanging out in this world for a little bit.

[Ike Lajoie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much to the book. I thought it was boring and confusing.

[Hanna Glenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about nothing at all

[Rosanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. The story has a unique setting (a coastal town in New England) that provides depth and interest. I like the first person narration too, and I loved that narrator.

[Marcella MacGonagle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting, it’s definitely not a crime/heist novel in the traditional sense. Lots of fluff and descriptive language, but it made for a pretty enjoyable read

[Reba Richie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A heist and fake identities... and moving people around.

[MeisterYoung · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this had potential and some interesting characters, the story seemed disjointed and the dialogue rarely seemed like something people would actually say. Excellent narrator!

[Raymond A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you enjoy the Cape, quahogs, and pick-up basketball this is the summer read for you. One caveat: the audiobook performance didn’t really seem to try to tease out the difference between a Brahmín Back Bay lawyer and a Woods Hole waitress. A miss by my estimate.

[J. Fakename · Rating 4 out of 5]

I too enjoy the works of John D. MacDonald. [3.5, but it's a lovely beach read, and that's where I read it{

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

um what did i just read 👎🏼

[John McPhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fun and smart and interesting. It is so well written and the style of the author is captivating and memorable. I’d loved the way the story is woven through the pages and loved the evolution of the relationships and I loved the fact that I never really knew what was going to happen next … Every Page is filled with anticipation for one other conversation or one other event that I had not expected. So damn good. I highly recommend your reading this book this summer!

[Eileen Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frank “loses” people who want to disappear from their problems and the forces pursuing them. Harvard-educated and a former athlete, trained by his father, a former spy, he is good at his job. Sometimes the end is not what he foresees, but in his field of work one must not get involved. When his girlfriend from the past returns to his small Massachusetts town, she charms him into a caper that entails the heist of diamonds. Can both of them pull it off? Can he remain detached and can she, a grifter in her own way, be trusted? Dwyer Murphy’s characters are believable but not likable. They see themselves as skilled in their particular fields and share a self-assuredness that can only lead to success. They know what they’re doing; too bad they don’t share this knowledge with the reader. This is not one of my favorites.

[Leane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack Bettencourt is an enthralling URN (Unreliable Narrator) and if you read for CH then this is an endorsement. However, there really is no Mystery, the heist caper is not exactly compelling but the Frame of small town Onset, Cape Cod MA makes up for the lack of real Plot, the meandering Style, and quizzical Tone which comes off as tentative musings about what Jack’s life, his vocation (He runs his family business of relocating people on the lam.), and his relationship with Elena (The other main CH who plans the theft and an old girlfriend.), his father, and other town inhabitants. The Tone is one of speculation—he is unreliable because his story points seem a lot like trying to nail down Jello. The planning of the theft, Jack’s relocation subterfuge, and references to old and new spy techniques had my interest, as did his narration, and the enlivening details of off and on season Cape living, the Portuguese festival, music and cuisine. Not sure what else I would suggest as like this novel: maybe Adam White’s The Midcoast for the atmosphere and frame as well as economic and class disparity; Peter Swanson for the URN, small town atmosphere, and David Gordon for the noir plus CH.