Public Garden

When Alison and Jack fell out of love, there was one little detail left unresolved between them - Alison was pregnant. Alison Moore and Jack Donnelly are associates at a prestigious Boston law firm who share a brief but intense affair. The ending is painful: Jack is evasive and Alison is hurt. But the aftermath is even more painful: Alison has an abortion, and Jack's relief is just too much for her. As they leave the abortion clinic, she asks him to walk with her in the Public Garden, once one of their favorite spots. When Alison turns to him he is ready to comfort her; instead, she reminds him of his broken promises, pulls a gun from her purse, and shoots him in plain sight of several witnesses. In this one instant, their personal lives become as public as the garden they walked in. Is it a crime of passion? Premeditated murder? Just deserts? In the sensational trial that follows Alison's arrest for attempted murder, public opinion is squarely behind her. Jack recovers from his superficial wounds to find his reputation shattered. Has she committed a justifiable crime? Who is the guilty party? Who is the victim? In this modern-day version of An American Tragedy, lost love, personal responsibility, and the law clash in a riveting trial informed by James P. Moran's years as a public defender and a federal prosecutor. In courtroom scenes that ring with authenticity, he shows us the kaleidoscope of values that color real human relations.