The Lonely Witness

Amy was once a party girl, but now she lives a lonely life. Helping the house-bound to receive communion in the Gravesend neighbourhood of Brooklyn, she knows the community well. When a local woman goes missing, Amy senses something isn't right.



Tailing the woman's suspicious son, she winds her way through Brooklyn's streets. But before she can act, he is dead.



Captivated by the crime she's witnessed and the murderer himself, Amy doesn't call the cops. Instead, she collects the weapon from the sidewalk and soon finds herself on the trail of a killer.

Powerful and evocative, The Lonely Witness brings Brooklyn to life and exposes the harsh realities of crime and punishment on the city streets.



William Boyle is from Brooklyn, New York. His debut novel, Gravesend, was published as #1,000 in the Rivages/Noir collection in France, shortlisted for the Prix Polar SNCF, nominated for the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere and shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger. Boyle is also the author of the Hammett Prize-nominated The Lonely Witness (No Exit Press), a book of short stories, Death Don't Have No Mercy and another novel, Tout est Brise, released in France by Gallmeister. A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself was published to enormous praise, it was an Amazon Best Book in 2019. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi.



'Skilfully shows how crime fiction has the ability to explore what motivates people to choose their path in life'



The Lonely Witness is a map of Brooklyn's genome. Amy Falconetti is that rarest of noir characters, a woman redeemed and a redeemer. Walking in her shoes for only a few blocks is worth the price of admission



'Elegiac and wistful, Boyle's second novel tells the story of Amy, a former hipster who has forsaken bands and booze for a simpler life in Gravesend, Brooklyn'



'An excellent sequel with a superb plot, matched by its realistically shaped characters'



'If you like the richly nuanced novels of George Pelecanos or Dennis Lehane, be prepared to add Boyle to your regular reading list'