"Other reviews" are full of it. I could just as easily argue that liberal Boston affords evildoers no succour. The fact is that there is no value judgment for or against Boston (or New York, or Philadelphia) present in the text.

As for the callous treatment of the D of I, well, I was reminded a bit of the Xena episode "Cradle of Hope." In the Xena fandom, if you mention the "baby tossing" episode, it will be recognized as this one. The treatment of the D of I was just as ludicrous. But then, it made for lots of cheap suspense.