July 28th, 2010
This week I have an interview on Sons of Spade, a website devoted to noir fiction and “the fictional P.I.” Good questions about McMorrow and writing; check it out.
Next week, headed back to my roots in R.I. Weaver Library in East Providence. Monday, Aug. 2, 7 p.m. If you’re in R.I. or southeastern Mass. please stop by.
Working on Brandon Blake No. 2, working title, PORT CITY BLACK AND WHITE. What do you think of that title? Weigh in, if you like.
talk soon.
July 24th, 2010
New readers including one in Bucksport, Maine today, have been asking for the titles in the Jack McMorrow series in order. Here they are: DEADLINE (1993), BLOODLINE (1995), LIFELINE (1996), POTSHOT (1997), BORDERLINE (1998), COVER STORY (2000), PRETTY DEAD (2002), HOMEBODY (2004), DAMAGED GOODS (2010). The Brandon Blake series: PORT CITY SHAKEDOWN, (2009). If you can’t find a title, let us know. We may be able to help you out.
July 10th, 2010
Today was Boothbay Book Fest. Nice people. Met some old friends, made some new ones. Tuesday is Witherle Memorial Library in beautiful and historic Castine, Maine. 7 p.m. Writers series. I’m No. 2. But I try harder.
Speaking of Holland (was I?), DAMAGED GOODS was noticed by a Dutch noir reviewer, Jochem Van De Steen. He liked it, and made the Robert B. Parker comparison. It’s global, I guess. Check out the review and leave a comment so he knows he’s being read by McMorrow’s readers here as well.
May 24th, 2010
In the course of my stops on the summer 2010 DAMAGED GOODS Tour, I’ve run into some people who haven’t read McMorrow and are hesitant to plunge into the ninth book in the series. I explain that the books are written to stand alone, that I think it would be sort of presumptuous for me to predicate books on what went on before. For that reason, I hesitate to bring back characters from the past. 
But for those of you who want to start at the beginning, here’s a deal. Send us $25 (gerryboyle.com, Box 6293, China Village, ME 04926), and we’ll send you a signed and personalized hardcover edition of DEADLINE, the first McMorrow novel. Such a deal!
Seriously, I’d like those of you who want to meet McMorrow as he was introduced in 1993 to do so. DEADLINE was McMorrow in the western Maine town of Androscoggin, alone and in danger, trying to navigate a labyrinth of murky relationships. And survive. Which he did. But you know that.
This week’s stop is Skidompha Library in lovely Damariscotta, Maine, 10-12 a.m., Thursday may 27. The event is sponsored by Maine Coast Bookshop. The store is worth a visit and the library is award-winning and very cool. I’ll be talking about DAMAGED GOODS, McMorrow, writing. Stop by if you can.
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May 18th, 2010
The comparisons first came years ago and continue to come. I’m flattered and not a little pleased. Robert B. Parker was arguably the best at what he did so well for so long. This, from Publishers Weekly, May 17, says DAMAGED GOODS, evokes some of Spenser. Fast company, indeed.
“Robert Parker fans who have yet to discover Boyle will be pleasantly surprised by his suspenseful ninth crime novel set in Maine featuring former New York Times reporter Jack McMorrow. … Boyle has succeeded in creating a likable lead whose sense of responsibility is reminiscent of Spenser as well as supporting characters with depth.”
I wrote about Bob Parker and his early and generous assistance in an earlier post. Scroll down.
Next stop is RiverRun Books in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Thursday, May 20, at 7 p.m. It’s my birthday. Come by and help blow out the candles. Or at least say hi and stay a bit for a chat.
May 12th, 2010
Stories by an old friend and new ones. I met Bob Keyes from the Maine Sunday Telegram at Arabica coffee shop in Portland. Dan Harrington from the Capitol Weekly and I met at the Chin-ah Dinah in my home town. And Abbie Curtis of the Bangor Daily News and I had a great chat at a coffee shop in Belfast. Her story was interesting.
Dan does a series on Maine icons. I’m not one, but I am absolutely thrilled to be lumped in with Maine legendary boxer Joey Gamache. I mean, is that cool or what? Check it out.
Bob covers the arts for the Portland newspapers. He’s a rock solid reporter and a good guy. Here’s his Q&A.
Abby covers Knox County, Maine. The whole thing. She’s a gamer. Talking with her encouraged me about the future of the newspaper biz.
May 12th, 2010
In Belfast, Maine (where I’ll be signing DAMAGED GOODS on Friday, 1-3, Mr. Paperback), a reviewer for one of the local papers noted the resemblance between fictional Galway, Maine, and the real Maine mid-coast city named for a city in Northern Ireland. And yes, DAMAGED GOODS does take place in a place that is physically modeled on Belfast, Maine.
But I’ve populated my fictional version with fictional characters, from Jack and Roxanne, to the prostitute who opens up shop on Main Street, to the backwoods Satanist who targets Roxanne, Jack, and their daughter Sophie. The reviewer liked the story but put in one of those smiley things at the notion of a Satanist living in our midst. Those writers and their imaginations!
Is there really a Satanist in the woods around Belfast, Maine. I don’t know. I do know that a white supremacist group was handing out literature just upriver in Bucksport just this week. Good story about it in the Bangor Daily News.
Maybe DAMAGED GOODS isn’t that far off.
May 5th, 2010
Had a nice chat last week with Rob Caldwell, “207″ TV host, about DAMAGED GOODS, Jack McMorrow, and why I do this. Talking with Rob is always fun and interesting. Check it out
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April 26th, 2010
There are good reviews and bad reviews, cursory ones and some that offer something that the writer hadn’t considered. The latter is the case with a review of DAMAGED GOODS by Beth Kannell, co-owner of (with her husband Dave) Kingdom Books, a specialty mystery bookshop in northeastern Vermont. Kingdom Book is one of those small stores that pack a powerful punch in terms of the love the proprietors have for writing and books.
But back to perception. Beth had some interesting thoughts on Jack and Roxanne in DAMAGED GOODS. But it was her take on their ex-Marine friend Clair that gave me pause.
“Clair’s background as a soldier in Vietnam becomes significant, not just for his ability to take up arms and his willingness to be at Jack’s back or front or whatever it takes, but also for his experience with the personal effects of violence, whether done to you or done by you. Sane and strong, Clair helps Jack maneuver and respond to the chaos around him, showing the best of what war can do to a person’s thought processes.”
What does war do to a person’s thought processes? We hear, justifiably so, about the emotional and physical trauma of combat. But what of the strengths that come from the experience? In Clair’s case, he has become wiser, more philosophical, but also more analytical. When things get tough, as they inevitably do when Jack and Clair get together, Clair becomes calmer, cooler, more collected. It’s a trait honed in the jungles and highlands of Vietnam, when, as a Force Recon Marine, those were essential survival skills. Now the same skills are brought to bear for Jack and Roxanne, their daughter Sophie. The best of what war can do …. Interesting.
April 5th, 2010
A blogger from Australia named Bill Harper who is a big Jack McMorrow fan had an interesting reaction to the DAMAGED GOODS video. He turned it off like it was about to bite him.
You can read his reasoning on his post but it’s pretty simple. He already has a picture of the characters in his head, or he will when he reads it. He doesn’t want somebody else’s idea of them mucking things up. It’s the reason that most people think movies can only ruin a good book. “What? That’s not what she looks like!”
I don’t disagree. Ever see the first Spenser series in the U.S. I rest my case. In fact, close readers will find that my physical descriptions of most characters, including Jack, Roxanne, Clair, are vague. I can picture them in my head, but even that is a blurry image. Is McMorrow 5-11 or 6-1? Are his eyes blue or hazel? Is his hair sandy brown or jet black? Depends on who you ask.
I have great faith in the power of imagination. I try to construct characters who are real to me, with dialogue that is real and revealing, who act in a way I think is believable for who they are. But what do these people actually look like? If you want to know, ask a reader.
It’s an interesting phenomenon. In the DAMAGED GOODS video, there is only one character from the book actually shown. Mandi, the escort, is seen in a quick shot from a distance. The stalker Dad is shown from the knees down. The doll? Well, the doll did a full star turn. I did, too, though starring role would be an exaggeration.
I admit I had the same reaction as Bill when I saw the cover concept for DAMAGED GOODS. There was Mandi, or at least a photograph of a young woman thought by the designer to look like Mandi looks. In my imagination and yours. I thought: whoah. Is that really her? Well, maybe so. Or maybe not.
The only other photo-based covers I’ve had have been in other countries. They’re big in Japan. I had one in the UK. U.S. publishers usually go with something more conceptual. But I think the cover works, in the sense that it’s quite arresting. The woman has an expression that is somewhere between seductive and threatening. She’s mysterious and that is Mandi’s most important quality. Who is she? Where did she come from? Why does she work as an escort in a small town where she knows no one?
The answers come, as McMorrow, racing the local cops, peels away the layers of her facade. Eventually Mandi is unmasked and the young woman who is revealed is something very different from the seductress on the cover. I hope you enjoy the journey.
So if the video bothers you, skip to the end. That’s where It’s just me talking. If I don’t meet your expectations, well, nothing I can do about that.
“Robert Parker fans who have yet to discover Boyle will be pleasantly surprised by his suspenseful ninth crime novel set in Maine featuring former New York Times reporter Jack McMorrow. … Boyle has succeeded in creating a likable lead whose sense of responsibility is reminiscent of Spenser as well as supporting characters with depth.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“DAMAGED GOODS is so compelling, it’s like literary crack–I simply couldn’t stop reading.”
–Tess Gerritsen, author of THE KEEPSAKE.
“A terrific thriller with terrifically original characters.”
- C.J. Box, Edgar-winning author of NOWHERE TO RUN
I always ask readers to purchase my books from their local independent bookseller. Purchase through indiebound.org
Purchase DAMAGED GOODS from Down East Books
Purchase DAMAGED GOODS from Amazon
In PORT CITY SHAKEDOWN, the first Brandon Blake novel, Brandon gets a full dose of bad guys. A brawl in a funeral home introduces him to Joel Fuller, a sociopathic hustler. Fuller is fresh out of jail and determined to take Brandon out—after Fuller and his sidekick Kelvin shake him down.
And if Brandon’s present isn’t enough to contend with, his tragic past comes alive. If his mother died when a yacht went down with all hands, why is one of the presumed-dead crew suddenly walking the streets of Portland? Soon Brandon, and his writer friend Mia, realize that the only thing they know is that nothing is as it seems.
Critics have said good things about my books. For those who like to know such things, here is a random sampling:
“Port City Shakedown is one of the best mysteries to come out of the state in recent years.”—Maine Sunday Telegram
“Brandon Blake is a solid series lead … and we get the impression that Boyle has barely scratched his surface here. … Keep your eyes on this one.”—Booklist
“Boyle keeps the legends of this cold and menacing landscape (Borderline) very much alive.”—The New York Times
“Boyle’s snappy prose stops just short of hard-boiled, letting some poignancy slip into his characters’ plights.”—Publishers Weekly
“The dialogue hums and crackles.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Wonderful supporting characters … superb writing. His feel for small-town new England is almost eerily photographic.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Gerry Boyle is the genuine article.”—Robert B. Parker
“Stunning. … The writing is sharp and evocative.”—The Washington Post Book World
“Features as much sound and fury as a summer movie blockbuster.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Fans of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels will love Jack McMorrow.”—Booklist
“Well-realized, believable characters … unusual and suspenseful.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer
“The author … uses his insider’s knowledge of the newspaper business to give his plot plenty of texture; he also delivers realistic characterizations, diverting subplots and evocative descriptions of rural Maine.”—Publishers Weekly
Rocky isn’t a tough guy. He’s a skinny little kid with crooked glasses, and he shouldn’t be homeless in Portland, Maine. When McMorrow and Roxanne pluck him from under the stomping feet of a gang of street kids, Rocky latches onto McMorrow–and drags him into a world of murder, both old and new. Why is McMorrow protecting Rocky? The cops want to know. Why is Rocky on the run? McMorrow wants to know. Why does death follow in Rocky’s wake? Jack and Roxanne need to find out before they’re added to the list. More »
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