Paragon Park lives on, if only in the imagination of author Frank J. Infusino Jr., whose latest novel, The Paragon Park Murders, is now available on Amazon and soon locally at Nantasket Paint and Hardware in Kenberma. In coming weeks, it will be posted on Barnes and Noble and over 100 other sites.

Infusino donates 100% of the proceeds of his books to fund two scholarships for graduating seniors at Hull High School. Last year’s recipients, chosen by school staff, were Dahlia Hedrick and Sean Reilly.

The Paragon Park Murders begins when two men are shot dead in the shuttered famous amusement center in the winter of 1957. The twisted tale of suspense and corruption moves like a roller coaster ride with bone-jarring turns and terrifying plunges into the world of mafia gangsters and crooked cops.

Rookie MDC Detective Anthony Gallo, a Hull native and Korean War hero, leads the investigation into the killings and is thrust into the crosshairs of mafia assassins when his probe strays too close to their planned robbery scheme. Two attempts are made on his life.

While operating out of the MDC substation in Nantasket, Gallo comes face to face with the high school sweetheart he abandoned to join the Marines. His efforts to win her back are not well received – she has moved on; he has not. His obsession with her jeopardizes his focus on the investigation.

Infusino believes “the readers of murder mysteries will be enthralled by the efforts of a young detective, thwarted even by his own superiors, to solve a crime which becomes increasingly complex and dangerous.”

Infusino grew up in Hull, worked at Paragon like many of his friends, graduated from Hull High School and UMass, and served as a Marine officer in Vietnam. A teacher and high school principal, he retired as the superintendent of a 34,000-student school district in southern California.

Infusino is named after his father, Frank J. Infusino, a longtime Hull Police officer, who in his off time helped build the miniature golf course at Paragon and could often be seen walking the track of the Giant Coaster to ensure its safety. Infusino still calls Hull home, although he has lived in California for many years. His sister, Joanne Haraden, still lives in town and cousins and nephews are spread from Boston to the South Shore.

Two of Infusino’s previous novels, “Murder at Fort Revere” and “The Lady in Black” (involving the rumored ghost on Fort Warren) are set in or near Hull. You can email him at cuzvito73@gmail.com or visit frankinfusino.com.

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