Danny McMillan never knew that his father was abusing his mother, until a night of violence that shattered his family forever. Watching in the courtroom as his father is sentenced, Danny struggles with divided loyalties – to his mother on one side and to his father whom he wants to forgive on the other. After one trial is over, another begins for Danny. Social services and the police convince Danny’s mother that they must go into a victim protection program. Danny is asked to leave everything behind – his home, his friends, and the love and support of his grandparents. In a new city and attending a new school, Danny is even given a new name – David Mayer. But who is David? He is someone that Danny does not want to be, living a life he cannot accept. As David, he is pushing boundaries he never would have pushed.

Rosemarie Boll has been practicing family law for over 20 years. She has written extensively on the legal system and how it affects families. She is committed to educating the public about the complex network of laws which govern our everyday lives, and explaining what the justice system can and cannot do. She currently practices with the Family Law Office of Legal Aid Alberta. Rosemarie lives in Edmonton, Alberta. The Second Trial is her first book.

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The Second Trial

Danny had no idea that his father was abusing his mother. Now his father is in jail, his parents are getting divorced, and Danny doesn’t think his life can get any worse. Then the police convince his mother to enter a victim protection program. Leaving behind friends, family and their former identities, Danny, his mother and his sister move to a new city to start over. As he recalls his own happy memories of his father, Danny questions whether he is really as dangerous as his mother and the police say. Danny begins to act out and distances himself from his mother and sister. Finally Danny faces his own trial when he is arrested for his involvement in the assault of a classmate. The crisis finally causes him to face the truth about his father and to let go of his former life.

Author Rosemarie Boll’s first novel describes, in often harrowing detail, the devastating effects that spousal abuse can have on a family. It does get slightly bogged down in the beginning — with the description of the father’s trial at times sounding more like a case study in a legal text rather than a novel — but the story quickly improves from there. Danny is a sympathetic character and his reactions to the drastic changes in his life are believable for a young teen. This is not a fast-paced plot and there is no dramatic final confrontation with the father, but a sense of suspense is sustained throughout as the reader waits to discover if Danny can make the right decision and accept his new life.