Author Pays Respect to Philadelphia with His New Novel Mercy Row

ATLANTA, GA, April 11, 2013 (Press-News.org) "Mercy Row is a novel set in 1920s and 1930s Philadelphia. It's the fictional story of the rise of a North Philadelphia crime family that was also responsible for building the homes and factories that make up this blue-collar area of the city. Despite the violent trials and tribulations caused by rival gangs from South Philadelphia and Chicago, Jacob Byrne and Franklin Garrett, with the help of the Irish immigrants who settled the Kensington area, build a formidable Irish mob.

This legal and criminal enterprise keeps North Philadelphia free from the Mafia for over two generations. Jacob and Franklin's organization is built on the blood of those who oppose them, the sweat of the laborers who built North Philly, and the tears of the wives and mothers whose loved ones are lost in the struggle."

The author, Harry Hallman, was born in 1944 and raised in the Kensington section of North Philadelphia. His father was Harry Hallman, Sr., a champion billiards player who also owned a poolroom located at Allegany Ave. and Lee Street, called Circle Billiards. In his youth, the younger Hallman spent many hours after school at his father's pool hall. These youthful experiences laid the groundwork for his novel Mercy Row, including the colorful language used in the text.

Hallman said, "I moved to Atlanta a number of years ago for business, and I really miss the ethnicity of Philadelphia. Growing up in the 1950s I could walk down my street and hear five different languages being spoken and smell the aroma of foods from all over Europe. Our school, Stetson Junior High, was fully integrated and had been for some time, unlike virtually all southern schools. After my tour in the USAF was over and I brought my Vietnamese wife and Eurasian son home, I lived with my family for a while until we got our own apartment, and my wife and son were accepted by the family and the neighborhood without question.

Yes, North Philly was a rough-and-tumble area even when I was young, but the people cared about their homes and their neighbors. I wanted to write a book that focused on North Philadelphia and especially Kensington. I also love gangster novels and movies, so I choose to write a fictional account of a family that not only built the area but also created a powerful crime family.

When my mother passed away, I found a baby book my sister had given her when I was born. There were lots of notes about growing up, and she also wrote a few paragraphs after I was much older. One of the things she said that brought tears to my eyes was, "Bud [my nickname] grew up to be a great boy and man. Gruff but with a heart of gold." What more can a boy from Kensington ask for? I hope my main characters come off as tough, gruff, protective, and with a heart of gold when it comes to family and friends."

Hallman's novel Mercy Row, is available in ebook format from Apple iBooks, Amazon, and many other ebook retailers.

www.mercyrow.com, www.facebook.com/mercyrownovel