The Dark Alleys of Boston
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M. E. Kemp was born in Oxford, MA in 1713 — ooops, that’s when her family settled in Oxford, the first English settlement of the town after a try by the Huguenots (French Protestants fleeing from executions by the French King.) Â Kemp’s family still live in the town, where her roots run deep. Â The first baby on her great-grandfather’s side was born in Salem in 1636. Â Kemp writes historical mysteries about two nosy Puritans. Â She lives in Saratoga Springs, NY with hubby Jack and two kitties, Boris and Natasha.
I reveal my prejudice here, but my favorite city is Boston.  Growing up in a small town in Massachusetts, Boston was the Shining City that drew us as teenagers like moths to a flame.  Perhaps that’s why I set my historical mystery series in that city, with two nosy Puritans as detectives.  Boston does have its dark alleys to this day, some of  them the original cow paths that led to the town’s green where the cows used to graze.  That’s how the famous Boston Common first came into being, as a cow pasture.  Step off the green in any direction and you’ll find still find paths to many destinations.  (My favorite path leads to Filene’s and it’s famous Bargain Basement.)
Another path leads to Faneuil Hall, hotbed of the Revolution, and its famous market place — a great place for a quick lunch or a coffee to give you enough stamina to face the  market crowds.  The market place holds the half-price ticket booth for plays heading to Broadway.  If it doesn’t make it in Boston it doesn’t see Broadway.  The critics are tough in Boston.  Around the corner on a dark side-street is my favorite place to eat: the Union Oyster House, which has been shucking oysters on the polished bar since the 1700′s.  No wonder there’s such a sense of continuity and such self-confidence in the people.  We’re always found Bostonians friendly and helpful, even on Beacon Hill, which was named after the tall structure that held a torch ready to light at sign of an attack.  Who’d want to attack Boston?  Well, the British did at one time and that’s another path: The Freedom Trail leads to different historic sites related to the Revolutionary War.
One of the most interesting paths leads into Boston’s North End, where you can tour the Paul Revere House and also find the best Italian restaurants outside of Italy. Â Step into any one of them; they’re all yummy. Â The North End was home to the famous Mather ministers, father and son. Â Father Increase Mather was considered to be the Great Man of his day; minister to the largest congregation in all the colonies, a diplomat sent to England, and President of Harvard College. Â No wonder little Cotton Mather held feelings of inadequacy that drove him to nervous breakdowns as an adult. Â Cotton Mather is a fascinating study, but I used him as the catalyst in my books that send my two detectives, Hetty and Creasy, to investigate mayhem in the community. Â Creasy Cotton is a young minister cousin of Mather’s and Hetty Henry is a cousin of Mather’s wife — a pushy cousin at that. Â Â If you stand at the hilltop graves of the Mathers the view is superb. Â You can look down at Boston Harbor and imagine a forest of masts and riggings from Mather’s day. Â Hetty Henry owns several of those ships docked at her own wharf.
My latest novel, Death of a Dancing Master, makes use of these sites.  The climactic scene is set in another popular tourist attraction, the  Old Granary Burial Ground where lie the original founders of Boston.  Hetty is forced to run for her life amidst the gravestones when her plan to catch the killer backfires.  My novels are all based upon historical incidents.  Boston did have a dancing master but he wasn’t murdered; he was just forced to leave town by the magistrates and the ministers.  You could drink huge amounts of liquor and fornicate as much as  you wanted in Boston — so long as  you were discrete — but you couldn’t  dance.  I do hope that much has changed in town.  For the rest, I appreciate the modern city’s retention of its colonial past.  I lived in a city with an equally rich history that let its heritage all but disappear.  Think of the potential for tourist dollars and the lost educational opportunities for its children!  If only that city had the foresight of Boston’s leaders, past and present.
One last feature of Boston I admire is its bookstores, especially the old ones tucked away in back corners, where I found a treasure trove of sources for my work. Â Plots, details of clothing and customs, foods and drinks, unusual names and characters — I only have to open a page and there they are before my eyes. Â Old Boston revealed for what it was; the most important city in the New World. Â It remains so to me.
M. E. KEMP
DEATH OF A DANCING MASTER
ISBN: 978-1-60318-240-9
Ebook: 978-1-6038-241-6
L&L Dreamspell, publishers
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November 26, 2010
Posted in: Guest Blogs
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17 Responses
Your books sound wonderful. Boston, old and present, sounds fascinating. I certainly intend to read about Hetty and Creasy and what it was like to be a detective and to live in the long ago time.
Our family walked most of the Freedom Trail around Boston many years ago. What I remember about Paul Revere’s house is that he had so many children in a not all that big of a house! Somewhere around there is a nice little brick covered park of courtyard w/ a statue and many ledges or benches to sit and rest the very tired tootsies. Very peaceful.
Boston is one of my favorite cities. I was born in a hospital in Brookline and my parents lived in Peabody, although we left the area when I was 6 months old. Still have some family there, and lots of friends.
Boston rocks! This Okie visited about 8 years ago and almost walked my feet off–including the Freedom Trail. After I walked across the bridge to the water (being an Inlander these things both thrill and confuse me) and had little idea of how to get home. Walking back would have been impossible. I even considered blowing my budget and taking a taxi. Suddenly a nice looking Bostonian directed me to a boat back to Boston, pointed out historical sights on the way, and then walked me to the nearest subway. He gave me directions back to my hotel. I fell in love with him and this historical city.
Your book sounds right down my alley. Put me in for the drawing.
I want to read “Death Of A Dancing Master”. Interesting!
Boston is one of the few cities I’d really like to see-this may sound corny but George Peppard playing Banacek first got me interested. Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving and wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!
Boston is a great site for a mystery. I visited there several times but do not think that I ever went to the Old Granary Burial Ground. I will have to check that out the next time I visit.
Helen Kiker
hdkiker@comcast.net
Thanks for re-awakening my memories of Boston, certainly one of my favorite cities too. Best memories include the mentioned Faneuil Hall Market Place, Union Oyster House, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Now THERE’S a mystery I wish someone would solve. Sixteen paintings from that “impossible” theft still missing, including my favorite Rembrandt. (The one my husband and I have lovingly and irreverently called “J.C. and the boys” for many years. Have you ever seen it? Wonderful faces,raging sea, and the delightful human touch of a sea-sick disciple hanging his head over the back of that tossing little boat doing what sea-sick people often do.) Now you know something about me that no one among our family or Arkansas friends–including members of our church–knows!
I lived on the northshore of Boston for 58 years. Moved to west coast to be near family. If it wasn’t for family I would be on the next bus “home” to Boston. There is no place in the world like Boston. Where I lived on northshore William Dawes rode by my home on his way to help spread the word.
JP
I adore Boston, we lived in Chelmsford just outside of Boston. I didn’t want to go back to Texas. I would love to read this book.
I visited Boston years ago and enjoyed your post. Death of a Dancing Master sounds like a great read.
The books sound wonderful. I can’t wait to read them all. I love your descriptions of Boston. I grew up hearing about Boston from a father who went to grad school there, loved visiting when I finally go to do so and love reading about it.
I would love to visit Boston. Once took a bus ride from Harrisburg, PA to Columbus OH with another passenger several seats away loudly telling stories of Boston in a thick Boston accent. It was almost like a quick visit 8^) Your stories sound like fun, I’ll look for your books.
I was born in Boston and had the pleasure of wandering around all the paths you mentioned for 22 years before moving to the west coast. Boston is definitely a walker’s town. I go back every now and then to renew my accent and walk a little more. Your book sounds like a lot of fun for a girl who hung out at the Old Granary Burying Ground visiting Mother Goose.
I grew up in Boston before Faneuil Hall was gussied up for tourists. We used to shop there on Saturday nights and get great bargains on produce that was in horse drawn wagons. There was even one little store that had dented and labelless cans for 10¢ each. Boston was a great city for wandering, so many nooks and crannies to get lost in.
I’m looking forward to reading your series.
Marilyn, it has been a real pleasure having you here. It’s also a pleasure to announce that the winner of the drawing is Joanne Prusak
Would love to read your book! I’ve lived in California for many years, but grew up in Boston, never fully appreciating its history when I was younger.
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