CANDYLAND by Jim Antonini

The past may haunt, but it doesn’t define in this nostalgic, found-family noir.

The sequel to Antonini’s Bullets for Silverware, CANDYLAND maintains that same gritty atmosphere and suspense you seek from classic noir fiction.

Michael, a newly appointed Harvard Scholar, is still recovering from the traumas of his past life. As a pharmacist in West Virginia, he found himself unintentionally embroiled in the violence of a local drug cartel that still haunts his dreams: the seduction that made him unrecognizable—both to himself, the man who nearly took his own life, and to the woman who saved it. But after five years, he’s finally beginning to put the past behind him and begin his life anew.

Upon arrival in Boston, though, Michael’s quiet world is turned upside down by Roger, an up-and-coming rock star who resists control in every way—from his affair with a married woman, to his ne’er-do-well lifestyle, to his refusal to sign a recording contract. Together, these fast friends embark on a raucous journey across Boston’s dive bars, music halls, and historic neighborhoods. But when Roger is nearly caught by his affair partner’s husband, things take a deadly turn.

Antonini packs a remarkable amount into a relatively short book, blending crime, friendship, romance, betrayal, music, and mystery into a story that is rarely lacking in momentum. Each page, it seems, offers a fresh nugget of humor, drama, or movement, the cast weaving and bending around each other almost as in a dance. Readers who enjoy character-driven stories about loyalty, found family, and navigating life’s unexpected turns will appreciate the relationships at the heart of the novel as well as the way the story progresses through those relationships.

That said, CANDYLAND does not always deliver on its premise. While it primarily revolves around a sort of murder mystery set against the backdrop of a close-knit group of friends, the novel spends much of its early page count establishing the characters—their histories, their day-to-day lives, the fast deepening of their connections—long before the central crime enters the story. For some readers, that slower narrative build—while fast-paced in terms of action—may feel drawn out as it builds to its primary conflict.

Still, others will appreciate the natural pace with which characters establish themselves, both in the narrative and in each other’s lives. Boston itself comes to life, almost becoming a character in itself. The city’s nightlife and music scene provide a lively backdrop that gives the novel a distinct sense of place.

Between the 1990s framing and Antonini’s clear enthusiasm for Boston’s culture, the entire novel is imbued with a sense of nostalgia, complimenting the at-times escapist character fantasy of its larger-than-life protagonists as they occasionally exhibit a romanticized vision of masculinity.

In the end, CANDYLAND is a moving novel about friendship, second chances, and choosing who you want to become after life has dealt you difficult circumstances. Beneath the crime elements and rock-and-roll atmosphere is a meaningful story that values loyalty, resilience, and the idea that our past doesn’t have to define our future.