Once Upon a Crime

Ernest Hemingway once said, "Write what you know about," advice that Robert B. Parker, Dennis Lehane, and the newest generation of Boston-bred novelists have certainly heeded. What is it about this city, especially its most gritty, urban neighborhoods, that breeds not only great crime writers but gripping stories set on the streets of Dorchester, Chelsea, and South Boston? Even the biggest names can't agree.

By Ralph Ranalli

Globe Staff / August 15, 2004

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Mul's Diner on West Broadway in South Boston, with its colorful sign and polished diamond-plate metal siding, has a pleasant throwback diner feel, but not in that Disneyfied, Johnny Rockets sort of way. It still looks like a place where you can imagine someone getting beaten nearly to death with a hammer, which is just what takes place in Boyos ... (Full Article: 2932 Words)