CANDYLAND is noir fiction and follows the merrymaking of a close-knit group of friends through the pool halls and night clubs of the thriving music scene of 1990s Boston. A mysterious and sudden murder leads to heartbreak and mayhem.
CANDYLAND is the long-awaited sequel to Antonini’s first novel BULLETS FOR SILVERWARE—an award-winning and best-selling thriller set in the seedy backwoods of West Virginia.
What others are saying:
“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…
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…
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…”
—Independent Book Review, August 2026
CANDYLAND by Jim Antonini – Independent Book Review
“…captures a very specific time and place with such vivid detail that readers will feel like they’ve spent a night out with the characters rather than read about them…
Antonini’s dialogue crackles with authenticity, especially in the way he captures regional voice and the cadence of longtime friends who finish each other’s sentences…
Few writers manage to make setting feel like a character, but Antonini pulls it off here…
Both a nostalgic hangout story and a page-turner, anchored by characters very well drawn…”
—BookTrib, August 2026
A Nostalgic Night Out Turns Deadly in Jim Antonini’s “Candyland” | BookTrib.
Available at: Candyland: Antonini, Jim: 9798234119971: Amazon.com: Books or Home – Jim Antonini an award-winning author from WV.