The Given Day, by Dennis Lehane (Morrow; $27.95)

I didn’t get to Dennis Lehane’s latest when it came out in 2008, but since he’s one of my favorite mystery authors, I decided to get caught up. The book is quite a departure from his previous books— Mystic River; Gone, Baby, Gone; and Shutter Island (soon to be in theatres)—all fabulous, all on my mental list of the thousand or so best mysteries of the modern era.

The Given Day  is not a mystery, but is instead a historic novel focusing on the rise of labor unions after World War I. Officer Danny Coughlin is Boston Police Department “royalty”: the son of captain and the godson of lieutenant. The department has reneged on its pre-war promise of raises, sick pay, and covering the cost of uniforms and weapons, and Danny and the rest of the rank-and-file are getting tired of hearing the excuses.  Dad and Uncle Eddie promise Danny a gold shield if he brings them information about the what officers are involved with the increasingly militant Boston Social Club (and other “Bolsheviks.”) As Danny tries to infiltrate the budding union, he finds more sympathy for their cause than for the need of department management to maintain control. The beat cops and management are on a collision course that threatens to alter the course of labor history.

Lehane skillfully weaves several subplots into the story of the police unions. Luther Lawrence, pitcher for a black baseball team, winds up on the lam in Boston after some trouble in Tulsa, where he had to leave his wife and baby. Nora O’Shea, a young Irish woman living with the Coughlins loves Danny but is engaged to his toady of a brother, Connor. And Babe Ruth, who plays against Luther in a pick-up game one day, learns that he might not always be a Yankee. Set against the backdrop of the influenza epidemic, the upcoming Volstead Act, and the racism of the early 20th century, The Given Day is a richly textured, well-plotted joy.