A Case of Manipulation

Author Combines Politics and Messy Divorce in New Legal Thriller

OSTERVILLE, Mass., Sept. 19, 2007 -- When a client shows up in his office with claims of domestic abuse, it is far from Boston lawyer Ted Eldridge's first divorce case. This case, however, is different. The client is the wife of Massachusetts governor Brendan Mitchell, and the initiation of divorce proceedings sets into motion the unpredictable and high-stakes chain of events in "Old City Hall" (published by AuthorHouse - http://www.authorhouse.com), the new legal thriller from Gerald D. McLellan.

Combining cutthroat politics, messy divorce, old family secrets and surprises, "Old City Hall" offers an intense inside look at what happens when the legal system is manipulated for personal advantage. McLellan uses the experience he has gathered from over a quarter century in the field of law, including his time as a Massachusetts divorce court judge, to paint an accurate and shocking image of what happens when a man as influential as Gov. Mitchell sets out to protect his name and political future.

As the drama unfolds, a devious cast of characters joins the action, including a North End business man who owes the governor deeply for past favors and hired thugs who are willing to do whatever is necessary to keep Governor Mitchell's secrets safe. From allegations of drug use, alcohol abuse, emotional instability, fraud and infidelity, to the manipulation of judicial assignment, everything becomes fair game in a case where unadulterated power is at stake.

Born and raised in Holyoke, Mass., McLellan graduated from Holyoke High School and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst before going on to St. John's University School of Law, where he graduated in 1960 and passed the bar in New York and Massachusetts. After an Army tour of duty at Fort Knox, Ky., McLellan and his wife, Jean, settled back in Holyoke, where they raised four children. Throughout his notable legal career McLellan served as both a lawyer and judge, eventually opening his own practice in 1982 in downtown Boston, the same setting as in his novel. In January of 2005, he retired from active practice and began consulting. McLellan has written four editions of "The Handbook of Massachusetts Family Law," the reference "Equitable Distribution," and a memoir entitled "Run the Cold Water." "Old City Hall" is his first novel.