Saugus author has new historical suspense novel

SAUGUS – Saugus author Tom Sheehan?s latest book will be released just in time for the much-anticipated 2013 hockey season. And the timing couldn?t be better for “Murder at the Forum,” a historical suspense novel based on the Boston Bruins-Montreal Canadiens rivalry.?It probably started from some Bruins rabid fans? sour grapes,” said Sheehan, 85. “But I wanted to bring in a new angle to the grand rivalry. This I did with a historical flavor creating a secret military society that supported the French monarchy ? until the French Revolution roared across France.”Sheehan sends the secret society “underground,” where it continues to play a role in French and Canadian history, from the early stages of the Vietnam War in the 1950s to the French Foreign Legion in North Africa.?This approach, in a sports package, in a mystery with a historical setting, gave me great opportunities to write a new angle to an old rivalry,” said Sheehan.A self-proclaimed “hockey nut,” Sheehan said he used to sneak into the old Boston Garden when he lived in Charlestown. Upon moving to Saugus, he played on Saugus High School?s first organized and competitive hockey team in the 1946-47 season and his two sons have been captains of Saugus hockey.Sheehan said he got to see Game 6 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Championship game against the Vancouver Canucks with his two sons. But even though he?s “extremely fond” of the new TD Garden, Sheehan said he doesn?t get to “visit too often these days.”?Murder at the Forum” follows three other novels written by Sheehan. These include “Vigilantes East,” “Death of the Final Receiver” and “An Accountable Death.” Sheehan has also penned four collections of short stories and memoirs including A Collection of Friends, From the Quickening, Epic Cures and Brief Cases.Sheehan also has two other novels in a final review stage.His most recent eBooks from Milspeak Publishers, a veterans? publishing site, are “Korean Echoes,” which was nominated for The Society of Military History?s Distinguished Book Award, and “The Westering,” which was nominated for a National Book Award by the publisher.?The Westering” is a collection of 21 short stories that, according to a press release, tell of the “pioneering of those who came from many countries, many customs, many cultures and brought much of that mix with them to create the American West as we now know it.”At 85, Sheehan said he keeps “the writing drive in high gear,” and often writes 1000 words a day and has more than 325 western stories that have appeared in magazines across the country.?Murder at the Forum” can be downloaded at amazon.com.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].