Disappearing acts

‘THE STOLEN COAST’

The chance to completely disappear appeals to some people, to just live anonymously, not on the run but to not worry about being found. This is Jack Betancourt’s job, helping people “escape,” in Dwyer Murphy’s lively, sophisticated “The Stolen Coast.”

Jack inherited the business of arranging for people “to escape” from his father, an ex-spy who still helps out and offers advice. The Massachusetts beach town Onset, where Jack lives, has proven to be the perfect place to stash people. Rundown and out of the way, Onset offers an “organized haven” with its slew of empty cottages,

Dwyer Murphy’s new novel is“The Stolen Coast.”

seasonal residents and people who mind their own business. Some people stay for a night, others for years, but at a certain point, some are “no longer in hiding. . . but just residents.” Jack’s clients encompass members of crime families, Russian mobsters, petty criminals or just ordinary people like the local man with whom Jack and his friends play a weekly pickup basketball game.

A lot goes into getting people settled, days traveling to pick them up, overnight stays in shabby motels, crossing borders, cleaning the residences to remove any trace of the previous occupants. In the beginning, Jack thought the job “necessary,” but the years have taken a toll, leaving him little time for himself, “a parochial life.”

Then Jack’s grifter girlfriend Elena comes back to Onset after a seven-year absence. Elena is an attorney but her career choice was only a way to find a better class of people she could scam. People are meant to be used, in her world.

Elena has a plan to steal diamonds from a corrupt litigator who is holding the gems for a client. Depending on whom she can find to buy them, the diamonds will bring in anywhere from $3 million to $180 million. Needing a change, Jack agrees to help, despite being very aware that Elena is a loose cannon.

Murphy seamlessly moves “The Stolen Coast” into a solid plot about con games, heists and disappearances. Murphy, who lives in Miami and is editor of “Crime Reads,” takes his characters on a road trip from the Massachusetts coast, up to Canada, back to Virginia and down to the Florida Keys and Miami.

His breezy style keeps “The Stolen Coast” churning, adding levity when the plot turns dark while serving the labyrinth story. Murphy’s elegant plotting, established in his 2022 debut “An Honest Living,” shows he is an author to watch.

Meet the author

Dwyer Murphy will discuss “The Stolen Coast” in person at 7 p.m. Aug.

3 at Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables, 305-442-4408. Tickets are free but reservations requested. Visit booksandbooks.com/event for more information

COURTESY