Broken in Boston, at 174 pages, takes place in Boston, Massachusetts in the early 1900’s, a time when the city was embroiled in major political and social changes. Founded by fundamentalist Puritans and later guardedly run by old-money, so-called ‘Brahmins’, Boston was always considered a very staid, buttoned-down city. But now, the large influx of Irish immigrants discovered the ballot box, and under the banner of the Democratic Party, began to shake old ‘Beantown’ to its core by winning elections in this staunchly Republican city. Appalled, the well-established Brahmins were not about to give up their position of power without a fight, however, and the era of rough and tumble Boston politics had begun.

Broken in Boston is the story of Hope Davis, a woman who possessed extraordinary beauty and was blessed with two children, yet was unhappy with herself and the direction her life was heading. Hope, too, was about to undergo a major change. She decided to make a gut-wrenching choice, one considered incomprehensible by most women.

Broken in Boston weaves Hope’s story with a backdrop of the rise of political power by the Boston Irish, wealth, prejudice, the influence of the Catholic Church in Boston, a violin-playing nun, drug abuse, mental illness, a brutal double homicide, a couple of dogged detectives and eventually the power of perseverance that leads to redemption and triumph. People may have found themselves broken in Boston, but learned they didn’t have to stay that way.

Ashley Joyal raved: “Loved this book!!! I ended up finishing it in a day because I couldn’t put it down. I loved it so much that I ordered a copy for my mom and my grandmother.”

Christine Daly also gave the book a positive review: “Excellent story that gets your attention from the first page. I really enjoyed this novel set in Boston. Hope to read more from this author.”

Broken in Boston is available as a paperback and ebook at Barnesandnoble.com and other fine retailers worldwide. This is the author’s second book and sequel to The Shoemaker’s Castle (2015). Wholesale orders for Broken in Boston can be placed through Ingram.

Mr. Shakalis is available for interviews. Please call Rob Rop at 800-767-0531 to arrange an interview or send an email to info@mindstirmedia.com

About author Rick Shakalis:

Rick Shakalis is a true baby boomer, born at Massachusetts General Hospital to parents that were both veterans of WWII. His mother, a nurse, was assigned to be second in charge of a neuropsychiatric hospital outside Paris treating patients from The Battle of the Bulge. These young soldiers suffered from physical as well as psychological wounds and she was deeply affected by her experience. Her way of dealing with her own post-traumatic stress was to read, and she read voraciously. She shared all manner of books at a very early age with Rick and he grew up with a deep affection for the written word. He choose a career in dentistry (Oh no, one of those!) and successfully practiced on Cape Cod Massachusetts for many years. Sadly, his mother passed away at a relatively young age and never read any of Rick’s books, but he often feels her presence while writing.