Loyalty, Crime In 'Brighton'

In 1975, Boston was in many ways a different city. In neighborhoods like Brighton, violence and drugs were all too common. Racial tensions were high as the city still grappled with court-ordered busing.

That provides the complex backdrop for a new novel, appropriately titled, "Brighton" by Chicago author Michael Harvey.

The book begins with two childhood friends who take part in a terrible crime. One stays behind to deal with the consequences, so the other can have a chance of making a name for himself.

But the day of reckoning for that crime doesn't come. It isn't until 26 years later when Kevin Pearce, a Pultizer Prize-winning reporter for The Boston Globe, is drawn back to the neighborhood he tried to leave behind and the secrets he thought he buried there.

It's a twisted tale of loyalty, murder and coping with the past.

Michael Harvey will be talking about "Brighton" at the Boston Public Library's branch in Brighton on Tuesday and at the Bookline Booksmith next Thursday.

Michael Harvey, crime novelist, investigative journalist and documentary producer. He tweets @MichaelHarvey88.