Rockville Centre, NY Author Publishes Novel Based On True Events

The Retrial of Lillian S. Raizen: A Life Avenged, a new book by Gerri L. Schaffer, has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.

A huge family secret was kept "under the rug" for decades. While visiting my parents one day, I caught them discussing a family member who committed murder. She was my great aunt, Lillian, whom I never knew. I was in my 40's at the time and was aghast at this new revelation. This peaked a driving curiosity that propelled me into a mission; to bring all of the facts out of the shadows and to set the record straight for my family, whose name was across all of the major newspapers in 1921. I discovered many injustices, in both the legal and social realms.

This is a woman's story based on true events that took place 101 years ago. Yet, it remains relevant today for everyone. I wrote this historical fiction novel to suggest a different trial outcome. Thus, the title of the book, The Retrial of Lillian S. Raizen-A Life Avenged. The plot is about a bright malleable young woman whose mind, body and soul were taken (according to her) by a close trusted friend of the family. She was manipulated, cajoled and exploited. This caused Lillian's mental breakdown and subsequent events that led to murder.

With story elements of sex, exploitation of women, rape and murder, The Retrial of Lillian S. Raizen – A Life Avenged, almost writes itself, and more importantly, connects to today's Me Too Movement. I had the honor of addressing a Women's Domestic Violence Council comprised of judges, lawyers, psychiatrists, and social workers who were eager to hear Lillian's story. I learned a new term, Trauma Bonding, which describes the reasons a victim may have an attachment to their assailant. This modern term is used in courts today to explain the psychological make-up of someone like Lillian, who continued a liaison with the person who violated and used her.

This book is a compilation of news articles, journal entries and trial transcript excerpts, that combines actual history with a fictional response to create a retrial that I hope will haunt my readers for weeks after reading the book. The Retrial of Lillian S. Raizen is a woman's story that transcends time.

The Retrial of Lillian S. Raizen: A Life Avenged is a 282-page hardbound with a retail price of $33.00 (eBook $28.00). The ISBN is 978-1-6853-7146-3. It was published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For members of the press, to request a review copy, visit our virtual pressroom at https://dorrancepressroom.com/the-retrial-of-lillian-s-raizen/ or to buy the book visit our online bookstore at https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/the-retrial-of-lillian-s-raizen-a-life-avenged/