Biography

Author

Jim Fusilli

Jim Fusilli is the author of novels including A SONG FOR KATY SHAYNE, THE PRICE YOU PAY, THE MAYOR OF POLK STREET and its predecessor NARROWS GATE, which George Pelecanos called “equal parts Ellroy, Puzo and Scorsese” and Mystery Scene magazine said, “must be ranked among the half-dozen most memorable novels about the Mob.”

Jim’s Narrows Gate setting is based loosely on Hoboken, New Jersey, where Jim was born and raised. Published in 2024, THE PRICE YOU PAY is set in nearby Jersey City and draws on Jim’s experiences as a Teamster in a local linked to the Genovese crime family.

Jim’s debut novel CLOSING TIME was the last work of fiction set in New York City published prior to the 9/11 attacks. The following year, his A WELL-KNOWN SECRET addressed the impact of 9/11 on the residents of lower Manhattan. Subsequent novels include TRIBECA BLUES and HARD, HARD CITY, which Mystery Ink magazine named its Novel of the Year. CLOSING TIME, A WELL-KNOWN SECRET and TRIBECA BLUES were reissued by Open Road Media. Lawrence Block provided a new foreword for CLOSING TIME.

A multiple Edgar and Macavity nominee for his short fiction, Jim edited the 2023 anthology BRUTAL & STRANGE: STORIES BASED ON THE SONGS OF ELVIS COSTELLO. The former Rock & Pop Critic of The Wall Street Journal, Jim’s book PET SOUNDS is his tribute to Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys’ classic album.

Jim is host and executive producer of the podcast Writers at Work featuring lively, entertaining interviews with top authors for readers and writers about the joys, heartaches, challenges and satisfaction of the creative writing process. Guests have included Lee and Andrew Child, Carl Hiaasen, Walter Mosley, Sara Paretsky, and Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. All episodes are available at writersatworkpodcast.com.

Jim and his wife Diane, an international communications consultant, live in New York City.