Explosive New Crime Book Opens Up Old Massachusetts Prison Wounds; Michael W. McKay's 'A Big House for Little Men' uses the notorious Walpole State Prison in Massachusetts as an inspiration for a new high-octane thriller. January 19,2010 - abighouseforlittlemen.com Boston, Mass. / Murder, hit squads, and corruption; three crimes you'd think would be bigger problems outside of a prison instead of within its four walls. However, as Massachusetts residents know, that wasn't the case in the 1970s. Riots at Walpole State Prison shook the Bay State in 1972. Several murders within the prison made headlines in 1978, and Walpole gained national notoriety when prisoners took guards hostage in 1979. Now, an explosive new crime book draws upon these turbulent events to spin a powerful story about how one young man took over a prison and became the most powerful criminal in Boston. Written by Boston native Michael W. McKay, A Big House for Little Men is a high-octane, plot twisting thriller McKay says is sure to strike a cord with longtime Massachusetts residents. "Anyone with Boston ties knows how bad things were in Massachusetts prisons in the '70s," says McKay. "There were one or two murders a week, but what do you expect when you put psychopaths and sociopaths in the same place? Guards were scared to go to work, they were scared for their families, they were scared of what the prisoners could do." Perfect for fans of books and movies like The Departed, Mystic River, and Goodfellas ...