The Stolen Coast

A Novel

By: Dwyer Murphy

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

“A perfect summer escape.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR Fresh Air

“A twisty, enthralling heist yarn . . . loaded with the threat of a double cross any time. . . . smart and satisfying.”—The New York Times, Editors' Choice

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.

©2023 Dwyer Murphy (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“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

Nothing Happens!!

This book rated a positive review in the NY Times, and I do not get it. The entirety of the book was a meandering narrative that went absolutely nowhere. I kept waiting for some kind of twist or action and it never came. It was like the author just decided to stop typing, left for lunch and never came back. VERY disappointing. Don't waste your credit on this one.

Boring, predictable

Nothing new here, the tone is well done and the reader carries it off well. Still you could see the plot twists coming a mile off.

Title Misleading

Good narrator. Technically well written, but no special twists to storyline. Kind of an New England coast male version of a British village spinster cottage mystery - predictable and bland.

Snooze fest

The entire time you were reading, you were waiting for some thing of substance to happen and it never did. I feel like I missed 5 chapters, all the characters were so passive.

Ditto: nothing happens at all!

This story was so well reviewed that I kept listening expecting something to occur to turn it around, but NOTHING DID! I feel bad for the town of Onset to be so depicted, accurately or not. It can’t be so dreary and crimes there can’t possibly be so boring. A fictional place might have been better? But it would not have bettered the tale. The whole heist never made sense. So it’s outcome never really mattered.

Captivating story!

Could not stop until the end! I never guessed what was going to happen. I have mix feelings about Jack but Elena is my favorite!

Atmosphere and confident

I don't review often but this book was a well written winner. In addition, it's well performed.

Waste of time!

This book was horrible! Every character is detached + had vague, minimal conversations with one another; just small town criminals scheming, so glad I didn’t waste my $$ on a physical copy. Everyone in town knows everything about the crime. The book was such a waste of time.