James Redfearn, an author born and bred in Mission Hill who also happens to be an ex-cop and a photographer, has written a new book about Boston in 1919, including the police strike that paved the way for public sector unions. It is largely set in the Roxbury Crossing police station that used to stand not too far from the present day T stop. From the book’s website, it looks like most of the action takes place in Mission Hill, but hopefully there will be some references to Fort Hill, too.
There’s a launch party for the book tomorrow from 5-8 at the Mission Bar and Grill at Brigham Circle. It’s $10 to get in, proceeds to charity. Details here.
Here’s a blurb from the website about the plot:
“The Rising at Roxbury Crossing” by James Redfearn follows a local rookie cop caught up in the Boston Police strike and the Irish war for independence in the tumultuous year of 1919.
“It’s a fascinating period in Boston history,” Redfearn said in a Gazette interview last week. “History carries the story.”
A retired State Police trooper, Redfearn grew up in the Mission Main public housing development, then known simply as the Mission Hill project, in 1947 to 1962. His undergrad degree in political science included a minor in history, and he holds a graduate degree in writing from Harvard.
The hero of his debut novel, Willie Dwyer, is also a local. The fictional police rookie is assigned to the real-life Station 10 in Roxbury Crossing, which once stood on Tremont Street just past Terrace Street.
“Willie lives in a rooming house on Iroquois Street. Mission Church has a small role in [the novel], too,” Redfearn said.