Saint of the Narrows Street
Praise for Saint of the Narrows Street:
Soho Press
February 4, 2025
A family stitched together by one violent, impulsive act. As the decades-long secret begins to unravel, one Italian American family will have to bear the consequences—and face each other—in this thrilling kitchen sink drama, a southern Brooklyn tragic opera of the highest caliber.
William Boyle is the master of Brooklyn-set crime fiction and Saint of the Narrows Street is his magnum opus. For fans of The Sopranos, Jonathan Lethem, and Dennis Lehane.
Gravesend, Brooklyn, 1986: Risa Franzone lives in a ground-floor apartment on Saint of the Narrows Street with her bad-seed husband, Saverio, and their eight-month-old baby, Fabrizio. Risa is a loving mother, a faithful wife, a saintly neighbor—but lately, her husband’s slow dive into criminality and abuse has threatened her peace, raising concerns about her and her baby’s safety. On the night her younger sister, Giulia, moves in with Risa to recover from a bad break-up, a fateful accident occurs: Risa, boiled over with anger and fear, strikes a drunk, erratic Sav with a cast-iron pan, killing him on the spot.
The sisters are left with a choice: notify the authorities and make a case for selfdefense, or bury the man’s body and go on with their lives as best they can. In a moment of panic, in the late hours of the night, they call upon Sav’s childhood friend—the sweet, loyal Christopher “Chooch” Gardini—to help them, hoping they can trust him to carry a secret like this.
Over the vast, dramatic expanse of the next eighteen years, life goes on in the working-class Italian neighborhood of Gravesend as Risa, Giulia, and Chooch grapple with the choice they made that night—and each forge a different path when the cracks of a supposedly seamless cover-up begin to reveal themselves.
Foreign Sales:
No Exit Press / 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:
“The stunning Saint of the Narrows Street is William Boyle’s best novel yet,
a vibrant, operatic tale of two resilient, big-hearted sisters and the fateful night
that sets their life on a path they never intended. Not since Richard Price has a
writer brought New York to such vivid, spectacular life, and Boyle’s southern Brooklyn
is all his own: a neighborhood pulsing with hard-earned humor,
dive-bar pleasures and thunderous heartbreak.”
—Megan Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of Beware the Woman
“You don’t read a William Boyle novel as much as you inhabit his
intricately drawn world. Saint of the Narrows Street is on par with the best of
Pete Dexter, Richard Price, and William Kennedy. This is a tour de force, knockout
book; an immediate classic that will stay with you long after you finish the last perfect chapter.”
—Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of Don’t Let the Devil Ride and The Heathens
“Saint of the Narrows Street is a hundred-proof shot of tragic love.
Nobody writes like William Boyle. Every character has a huge thumping heart.
You can smell the skeevy bars and taste the home-cooked lasagna. Boyle deals in
details, but this is a big, epic novel, and it’s his best yet.”
—Eli Cranor, Edgar Award-winning author of Don’t Know Tough