Globe Corner Blogs

Edited by Dennis Lehane, a native of Dorchester, Massachusetts and author of eight novels including Mystic River and Shutter Island, Boston Noir is a compilation of eleven short stories, snapshotting the lives of seemingly ordinary Bostonians who are all suffering in one way or another. Whether derived from loneliness, failure, suppressed anger, a hunger for power, love gone afoul, or haunting childhood memories, a sense of desperation torments the characters of these fast-paced thrillers.

Each story takes place in a different part of Boston, from Cambridge and North Quincy to Watertown and Boston Harbor. It may be the year 1745 or 2010. The reader gets a taste of the pressures and discrimination of the financial district hierarchy, the sexual crimes of a priest in Southie, and the mental breakdown of a former pop star residing in Beacon Hill. Together these stories create a fascinating mosaic of Boston society, past and present. Continue Reading »