William Michael Boyle

William Boyle (born 1978) is an American author of character-driven literary crime fiction.[1] Boyle is a native of Brooklyn, New York and the borough forms the backdrop for much of his work.

William Boyle, press photo
For the Irish dramatist and short story writer (1853-1923), see William Boyle (Irish writer).

Reception

When Boyle's debut novel, Gravesend, was reissued, the longtime crime fiction reviewer of the New York Times, Marilyn Stasio, noted Boyle's use of local dialect.[2] A U.K. review from The Guardian also cited the book's idiomatic dialogue and blue-collar setting, drawing a parallel with Elmore Leonard.[3]

In its review of The Lonely Witness, Publishers Weekly noted the gritty realism of Boyle's Brooklyn milieu.[4]

New Orleans Review examined the variety of themes that inform Boyle's approach to crime fiction in its discussion of his short-story collection, Death Don't Have No Mercy.[5] In another look at that anthology, the Clarion-Ledger, a leading newspaper in Boyle's adopted home state of Mississippi, touched on the commonality of Boyle's work with Southern forebears Flannery O'Connor and William Gay.[6]

France's oldest daily newspaper, Le Figaro, compared Boyle to Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos, among others.[7] Gravesend was nominated among foreign authors for France's Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in 2016.[8] In addition, it was one of five finalists in the novel category for the Prix SNCF du Polar.[9] The French news weekly L'Express also cited it as one of the 10 best crime novels of that year.[10]

The U.K. has also recognized Gravesend. It was shortlisted for the John Creasey CWA New Blood Dagger in 2018.[11]

Boyle's reputation has been growing in his homeland as well. The Lonely Witness was singled out by the New York Post in June 2018.[12] George Pelecanos name-checked The Lonely Witness a couple of months later in the New York Times,[13] followed shortly by Stasio's review of Gravesend.

Stasio also had praise for Boyle's 2019 comic crime caper, A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself, upon its release in March 2019.[14] On the cover of the U.K. edition, Roddy Doyle singled out the strength and humor of the female characters.

Boyle's 2020 novel City of Margins -- set almost entirely in South Brooklyn -- drew plaudits from Stasio once again. She focused on his character studies, which featured "a mixture of affection and despair worthy of a Bruce Springsteen song."[15]

Bibliography

Boyle is the author of the following novels:

  • Gravesend (originally published in 2013, French-language edition published in 2016, reissued in the U.S. in 2018): ISBN 978-1681778495
  • Tout Est Brisé, or Everything Is Broken (2017; released only in French to date): ISBN 978-2351781616
  • The Lonely Witness (2018): ISBN 978-1681777955
  • A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself (2019): ISBN 978-1643130583
  • City of Margins (2020): ISBN 978-1643133188

He has also written a short story collection:

  • Death Don’t Have No Mercy (2015): ISBN 978-1940885193

References
  1. Cogdill, Oline H. APNews.com May 1, 2018
  2. "Yo, Ray Boy: Crime Novels that Speak in Local Voices" - Marilyn Stasio's review of Gravesend
  3. Forshaw, Barry The Guardian, February 2, 2018
  4. Publishers Weekly review of The Lonely Witness
  5. May, James New Orleans Review 2015
  6. Purdie, Ellis Clarion-Ledger August 8, 2015
  7. Corty, Bruno Le Figaro, April 7, 2016
  8. Thomas, Vincy Livres Hebdo September 20, 2018
  9. SNCF press release, October 11, 2016
  10. Ferniot, Christine L'Express, April 1, 2016
  11. The John Creasey New Blood Dagger Shortlist 2018
  12. Dawson, Mackenzie New York Post, June 4, 2018
  13. Pelecanos, George New York Times, August 23, 2018
  14. Stasio, Marilyn New York Times, March 1, 2019
  15. Stasio, Marilyn New York Times, March 20, 2020
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