Revere Beach Boulevard


Book Description

Revere Beach Boulevard, a novel both literary and suspenseful, tells the story of a family that rallies around an errant son, even as a dark secret that has blighted all their lives comes to the surface. For Peter, the son who battles a gambling addiction for most of his adult life, it means having the courage to stand up to Eddie Crevine, a Mafia thug to whom he is in debt. For Peter's famous sister, Joanna, it means admitting that she shares some of her brother's anger at their parents and that she is no longer wholly responsible for saving him from the consequences of his gambling. For Vito, the father who hasn't ever had an easy time with his son, and Vito's wife, Lucy, it involves dealing with the aftereffects of a youthful indiscretion, a moment of unchecked passion that changes all of their lives in ways that can never be undone.




Revere Beach


Book Description

Revere Beach Reservation, created by the Metropolitan Park Commission in 1895, encompasses an approximate three-mile stretch of stately crescent shore sited only five miles from downtown Boston. A successful amusement industry flourished here through much of the twentieth century, while later years witnessed the damage wrought by several devastating storms, including the infamous Blizzard of 1978. Revere Beach invites the reader to take an unsurpassed pictorial journey detailing nine pivotal decades of a premier metropolitan seaside destination. The book showcases Wonderland Amusement Park, with its famous amusements and attractions that thrilled and entertained generations of visitors. It further allows readers to view the formation of an inspired reservation and to book passage on the nostalgic narrow-gauge railroad. Through archival and private collections, Revere Beach enables the inquisitive to discover the true Revere Beach, which captured the attention of two U.S. presidents and the heart of swimming champion Annette Kellerman, who chose the beach as the perfect venue to introduce the scandalous one-piece bathing suit to North America.




Revere Beach Elegy


Book Description

Originally published in 2002 by Beacon Press.




Vatican Waltz


Book Description

The new novel from the award-winning author of Breakfast with Buddha and Revere Beach Boulevard tells the story of a young Catholic woman jolted from a quietly devout life in pursuit of a mysterious calling. Cynthia Piantedosi lives a quiet, unassuming life outside of Boston, guided by her Catholic faith. When she loses her beloved grandmother, she begins experiencing “spells” of such intense spiritual intimacy that she wonders about her sanity. Devoted to her elderly father and not particularly interested in dating and socializing, she develops a deep friendship with her parish priest. His congregation sees him as provocative and radical, but he encourages Cynthia to explore her faith—however it presents itself. When he is killed in a mysterious accident, a message begins to emerge from Cynthia’s prayers: God is calling her to be the first female Catholic priest. Her revelation is met with ridicule by certain of the more reactionary officials she reaches out to within the Church. Unable to tune out the divine messages, she lets the power of unswerving faith drive her all the way to the Vatican in pursuit of a destiny she doesn’t fully understand—and a turn of events that will inevitably bring long overdue change to the Catholic Church. From the Hardcover edition.




A Little Love Story


Book Description

Jake Entwhistle is smart and handsome, but living with a shadow over his romantic history. Janet Rossi is a bright, witty aide to the governor of Massachusetts, but Janet suffers from an illness that makes her, as she puts it, “not exactly a good long-term investment.” After meeting by accident late one night, they begin a love affair filled with humor, startling intimacy, and a deep, abiding connection.




Lunch with Buddha


Book Description

Two brothers-in-lawNOtto, an editor of food books, and Volya Rinpoche, spiritual teacherNtake a road trip in a rattling pickup from Seattle to the family farm in North Dakota. Along the way they have a series of experiences all aimed at bringing Otto a deeper peace of mind.




American Savior


Book Description

What if Jesus suddenly appeared and announced that he planned to run for President of the United States? Yes, that Jesus. And what if a well-meaning but utterly inexperienced band of disciples not only helped him mount a seat-of-the-pants campaign but also ran it well, getting millions of people to support him and in the process throwing the other two major party candidates—as well as the world's news media—into a frenzy as they scramble to discredit him? Roland Merullo's bitingly clever satirical novel about the state of American politics follows one man's campaign to bring back goodness and kindness (real goodness and kindness this time) in a country that has fallen into a divisive state of fear and hatred. Merullo takes us into the heart of "a nation in grave spiritual danger" as the Son of man sets out to make everyone realize that "politics as usual" is no longer an acceptable alternative. American Savior is a remarkably innovative novel that challenges our perceptions and beliefs while it wags a finger at the folly of our self-righteousness. It is sure to cause controversy among those for whom politics itself has become a kind of religion.




Leaving Losapas


Book Description

Leo Markin, a young U.S. Marine and Vietnam combat veteran who survived the war, found himself so changed by the experience that he simply could not find a way to return to his home, family, and his fiance in a working class city of his birth outside of Boston. He is torn between the peaceful, natural way of life on the island of Losapas and the rougher rules of his upbringing.




Murder in the Marsh


Book Description

A missing body. Two new deaths. A man in search of the truth. 1980 Revere Beach, Massachusetts Detective Eddie Devlin is about to be relieved of his duty by the Revere Police Department. A year ago, he shot the killer of a woman in the marsh, but the man's body disappeared from the crime scene. Eddie soon became a suspect, then a person of interest, and finally a casualty of the ongoing investigation. Shortly after he is let go, two bodies are found in the same place, and suspicions about Eddie's guilt resurface. Determined to clear his name, the new civilian Devlin conducts his own investigation with the help of his bartender friend, Dana, and his almost girlfriend, Gwen. The sordid beachfront, the murky marsh, and the rain-soaked season all help to set the stage for this gritty and unsettling mystery, where Devlin battles his relentless demons on the way to uncovering a deeper conspiracy.




Demons of the Blank Page


Book Description

From chapters entitled "Writer's Block" to "Finding a Mentor" to "Impatience and Rejection," Merullo covers these topics with the insight, empathy, and encouragement of an author who has been there, in this no-nonsense handbook and guide for aspiring and established writers alike. His works have been praised by "The Boston Globe" and "Kirkus Reviews."