The Rising at Roxbury Crossing

James Redfearn

It is 1919, the year of the infamous Boston Police strike, and rookie cop Willie Dwyer is on the beat at Roxbury Crossing. Dwyer had fled Ballinasloe, Galway a decade earlier, after being caught up in Ireland’s rebellion, and here he is now upholding a civic order that is about to come crashing down.  Redfearn, a former Massachusetts State Trooper, understands the dialogue, customs and mindset of police and of Irish history. His fatherin- law, William E. Mulvey, was a police officer during the strike. Redfearn grew up in Roxbury when it was still an Irish enclave, and has a deft touch for the history of this special neighborhood. The Rising at Roxbury Crossing introduces a writer with a sound sense of pace, dialogue, drama and insight into history that makes this debut novel so enjoyable to read.

Olde Stoney Brook Publishing / 2012 / 425 pages / $18.95