Below is a repost that didn't go through. Sorry if it turns
out to be a repeat.
A few things on this month's topic (and the general rubric of
cities):
I read Blunt Darts, which has more of the
countryside/outlying area than Boston itself. I don't know
Boston too well, but I know some other parts of New England
and the Berkshires (mountains where part of the novel takes
place) a bit. Mostly I know Boston/New England from other
books. The topic of cities seems to have two parts: geography
and ethos. Blunt Darts seemed Bostonian to me (fit my
conceptions of Boston) in the nature of characters and plot
lines: an old family with a dark streak (sort of like in The
House of the Seven Gables or something), a powerful judge
(think of Salem), a strong-willed matron (which overlaps with
a hardboiled client regular). Naturally, Boston is many other
things too, but of course they can't be all covered in one
novel. I'd be curious if there are crime novels that make
strong use of a city's geography to guide plot (maybe it
can't work--urban planning as crime novel). I know of cities
and towns (or at least one) where the manmade landscape
reflects a history of graft/corruption and has resulted in
segregation and slums (e.g., a good highway project and
hospital will set one neighborhood off from another). I
suppose the arid landscape of Southern California plays a
role in "Chinatown." Doug
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