If Boston is the “Hub of the Universe,” Beacon Hill is the starry axis around which its power and money revolve. A synonym for exclusivity as well as the locus of government in Massachusetts, the remaining “Third Hill” of Trimountaine’s original three has much in common with the MBTA’s deadly and potent third rail. As your guide to the tricks and traps of Boston’s labyrinthine thoroughfares, poet Ellin Anderson is the ultimate insider, having been born into a former First Family of Massachusetts. Whether running a gauntlet of Mack Daddies on her way to work in gritty Park Square, or mingling at a cocktail party on the Bay State’s famed Gold Coast, Ellin tells all as a keen observer of regional life. Brahmins and bunnies, painters and poets, admen, madmen, and the occasional Klansman — all are subject to her sharp gaze and skillful pen. Intertwined with Ellin’s personal stories are the fortunes of the mysterious “Swan Knight,” a man torn between duty and desire, a dedicated public servant who paid the ultimate price for being far too good for his surroundings. Ellin Anderson was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1958, and graduated from The Pingree School and Mount Holyoke College. She was a long-time resident of the North Shore, that picturesque and historic region where many of Boston’s best and brightest commuters settle in on weekends to enjoy the good life. A professional writer and editor by trade and a poet by nature, she worked in business writing, publishing, and journalism before moving to Vermont to more fully pursue her main passion.