The Blue Line To Wonderland

Fictional portrayal of crime and the criminal characters associated with it in the Southern New England area during the latter half of the Twentieth Century. The story follows the life of "Donato 'Danny' Pastore," who suffers through a traumatic event when he's a young boy, affecting his mental health, and the scores of characters and incidents that surround him during his lifetime. The pages flow with the full gauntlet of emotions and the complicated affairs of the criminal elements. There is much to laugh and cry about in the story, along with surprising insights into the criminal world of Southern New England on the way to the fateful denouement. A story to get into, told in nearly 700 pages.

Boston's rapid-transit Blue Line covers a distance of 5.94 miles, a twenty-three-minute commute that begins at Bowdoin station in downtown Boston, travels under the harbor, passes Revere Beach, and stops at Wonderland. Today's commuters might be surprised to learn that the line they are riding was once operated by trolley cars and narrow-gauge steam-powered commuter trains, for it was not until 1904 that the East Boston Tunnel under the harbor was completed. By 1917, the number of people riding the Blue Line had climbed to twenty-five thousand a day. Although significant advances had been made to accommodate high-volume commuter traffic, rush-hour congestion at downtown stations remained a problem. In the 1920s, with ridership exceeding forty-two thousand people a day, the Boston Elevated Railway and the Boston Transit Commission agreed to convert the tunnel to a rapid-transit operation with a transfer station at Maverick Square. Further expansion occurred in the 1950s, when the Blue Line was extended to Orient Heights, Suffolk Downs, and Revere Beach.

Claire Rivers races to the mailbox to receive a letter of acceptance to Harvard University while a heavenly battle rages. In this fast-paced, suspenseful novel, the ageless war for the hearts and minds of students on our college campuses is revealed. Conflict between unseen evil and angelic forces reflects their battle for victorious living amidst confused messages. When Claire and her roommate encounter attacks on their faith, a deeper mystery -- involving Harvard's Christian heritage, the pull of money, and a dark plan for societal corruption -- unfolds around them. Will they succumb to temptation and destruction? What has become of Harvard's founding motto: Veritas, Christo et Ecclesiae -- "Truth for Christ and the Church"? Can Claire -- with other praying students and their parents -- counteract the forces of humanism and relativism ... and what will it cost them to do so?

"... designed to help students master the essentials of map reading and interpretation." -- p. vii.