William Boyle

William Boyle is from Brooklyn, New York. His books include: Gravesend, which was nominated for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in France and shortlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger in the UK; The Lonely Witness, which was nominated for the Hammett Prize and is nominated for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière; and A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi.

Boyle's new novel is City of Margins.

Recently I asked the author about what he was reading. Boyle's reply:

My new novel, City of Margins, comes out on the same day as books by three of my favorite writers: Lee Durkee’s The Last Taxi Driver; Michael Farris Smith’s Blackwood; and Scott Phillips’s That Left Turn at Albuquerque. I’ve read advance copies of The Last Taxi Driver and Blackwood, and they’re both masterpieces; I’ll be first in line for the new Phillips the day it comes out.

I’ve been on a little bit of a Muriel Spark tear the last couple of weeks; it started with The Driver’s Seat and has continued with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Robinson. She’s one of those writers that I just sort of missed, and I’m thankful to find her now. I reread one of my all-time favorite novels last week, Jean Rhys’s After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie; I find such comfort in reading Rhys. I started Vanessa Veselka’s Zazen, a book I saw Liberty Hardy talking about, and it’s incredible. I picked up Claude McKay’s Romance in Marseille, recently reissued by Penguin, and I’m excited to dig in. I’m currently teaching and rereading Leah Carroll’s masterful true crime memoir, Down City.

As for recent books, I was blown away by French writer Hannelore Cayre’s The Godmother (translated by Stephanie Smee). And Melissa Anne Peterson’s Vera Violet is my favorite read of the year so far—it’s gritty, raw, mesmerizing.

Visit William Boyle's website.

--Marshal Zeringue