The Stolen Coast — Dwyer Murphy

“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.