A review by jencunn2024
City of Margins by William Boyle

2.0

I’d give this about a 2.25 out of 5. There was just enough to keep me reading straight through but I was tempted so many times to skip to the end and just see how it turns out. The way William Boyle introduces so many characters chapter by chapter is a put-off. The redeeming bit was the overall plot and how it circles back to reinforce the very loose character connections. It was a little far-fetched and extreme but doable for anyone who Maugham be into adult crime fiction. The mob bit was weak though. I also felt like Boyle was trying to take figurative stabs at another famous writer. I didn’t appreciate that as a reader and thought Boyle’s writing lacks in comparison if my feelings about his intentions there are correct; if not, it’s unfortunate that it seemed like that.