Heavy Sugar
Praise for William Boyle:
Soho Press
January 5, 2027
The latest from the master of Brooklyn-set crime fiction is a zany, foul-mouthed, and tender-hearted screwball noir that unfolds over one madcap day, centered around a stolen Joe DiMaggio–signed baseball and the lengths people will go to find it.
“William Boyle’s Brooklyn is a place where bad decisions become destiny and screwups get one last shot at grace . . . Gloriously unhinged, this is a wild, funny, deeply tender ride—a love letter to losers, lovers, and all the things we steal because we can’t figure out how to ask for what we really want.” —Ivy Pochoda, author of These Women
Thanksgiving Eve, 1991: Most things that lovable scoundrel Georgie Quinlan has tried to do in his life have gone horribly wrong. Marriage. Fatherhood. Most recently, an armed robbery. It’s the last thing that has Georgie on the lam and back in Gravesend, Brooklyn, the sleepy Italian American enclave where he hasn’t shown his face in a decade. He’s stolen a Joe DiMaggio–signed baseball from an old Irish pub, thinking it’s worth a pretty penny and that southern Brooklyn is the last place anyone will look for him. This, Georgie is wrong about.
Awaiting Georgie in Gravesend are his wife, Loretta, whom he hasn’t seen in twelve years, and his teenage kid, Roz, who knows nothing about her father—he’s been MIA for most of her life. But Roz is about to get a crash course in Georgie Quinlan. So is everyone else, whether they want one or not.
Unfolding over one frenzied day, William Boyle’s latest Brooklyn-set noir is a screwball, no-holds-barred exploration of buried desires and long-simmering resentments, a pulse-pounding, unpredictable bash from a singular voice in crime fiction.
Foreign Sales:
Bedford Square / U.K.
Praise for Shoot the Moonlight Out:
“Boyle emerges not just as a consummate crime writer, but as a
poet of the underclass, unwaveringly portraying lives gone wrong
but still finding a little moonlight ‘spilling its light on the cracks
in the sidewalks and all the cracked hearts.”
—Booklist, Starred Review
"(A) masterly literary noir from Boyle...This mature, nuanced
work is a must for George Pelecanos fans.
—Publisher’s Weekly, Starred Review
Praise for City of Margins:
“The author's exquisitely drawn character soon uncover secrets and make
connections with each other that echo those of a Greek tragedy, with
similar results. Boyle comfortably stands next to literary crime favorites like
Don Winslow, Richard Price, and Lou Berney.”
—Library Journal, Starred Review
“Outstanding novel...Boyle's characters are vividly drawn and painfully
real. Fans of literary crime novelists such as George Pelecanos and
Richard Price will be highly rewarded.”
—Publisher’s Weekly, Starred Review
Praise for Gravesend:
"Boyle chews the local dialect like a Nathan’s hot dog, biting into
the juices of pure Brooklynese and savoring the mustardy aftertaste."
—New York Times Book Review
"A simply riveting and deftly crafted novel of revenge, desperation, and escape,
Gravesend showcases author William Boyle's genuine flair as a novelist for
character and narrative driven storytelling."
—Midwest Book Review
Praise for A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself:
"Comic crime capers are fun. Comic crime capers starring women are even
more fun. William Boyle delivers some choice laughs and a terrific trio of
felons. A road trip that’s so much fun you don’t want it to end."
—New York Times Book Review
"A funny, gritty, touching narrative about the strength of three
New York women caught in a world of abusive men, broken families,
and mob violence. Crime fiction usually stays within the confines of
the genre, but Boyle breaks away from those restrictions.”
—NPR
Praise for William Boyle:
“Humor, mob action, betrayal, guns, and family secrets, and wait! a little bit of magical realism too—are all part of this hard driving contemporary noir that is impossible to put down.”
—firstCLUE Reviews
“Boyle’s books strike a coveted balance between grace and grit . . . Arguably his best work yet.”
—The Local Voice
“William Boyle’s Brooklyn is a place where bad decisions become destiny and screwups get one last shot at grace. Foul-mouthed, big-hearted, and gloriously unhinged, this is a wild, funny, deeply tender ride—a love letter to losers, lovers, and all the things we steal because we can’t figure out how to ask for what we really want.”
—Ivy Pochoda, author of These Women
“Thomas Wolfe wrote ‘only the dead know Brooklyn’ and far be it from me to disrespect him, but William Boyle goes a long way toward putting the lie to that list because he’s got the borough by the balls and he ain’t out of the count yet. If the nigh ineffably named Gravesend isn’t the end of the line where everyone gets off, what is? Heavy Sugar is the payoff for noir enthusiasts who still have a sense of humor and heart to go with it.”
—Barry Gifford, author of Wild at Heart
“Donald Westlake and Hubert Selby Jr. had a baby and it’s a novel called Heavy Sugar, William Boyle’s latest (and maybe best) Brooklyn crime epic. Clear your schedule ’cause once you pick it up you won’t want (or be able) to put it down.”
—Larry Charles, award-winning writer on Seinfeld and director of Borat
“Heavy Sugar is a cinematic, heartfelt, funny, and frenetic Brooklyn noir that gives readers William Boyle at the peak of his powers—delivering the kind of grounded, character-driven story that has become his playground. Lived-in and real, Heavy Sugar will pull you in and you’ll never want to leave. His best novel yet.”
—Alex Segura, bestselling and acclaimed author of Secret Identity