In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree

'This engrossing novel immerses the reader in the reality of post-Civil War America, following the intertwining stories of a freed slave, a high-minded West Point cadet, and a strong-willed young woman struggling to live their lives in an era of brutality and greed...the outcome will keep you thinking about their stories long after the final words have been read."

~ Rosemary Fifield, Top Shelf Magazine

"...a deeply affecting, gut-punch of a novel." Dan Barnett, Chico Enterprise Record.

"A story of one man's life, and his fight for dignity and justice." Susan J. Barrett

"...Raw and emotional...This book touches on both the atrocities of slavery and the abysmal treatment of Native Americans. Mr. McLellan is a brilliant storyteller who has woven together this compelling story that is both beautiful and ugly." Audio Killed The Bookmark.

"Outstanding and brilliant...I never expected it to be this good...John Steinbeck good...Wallace Stegner good...this was one - if not the - best novel written about this period of history." Elyse Walters, Goodreads Review

"...thought-provoking and heart breaking historical fiction." Books Teacup and Reviews.

Born into slavery, Henry's young life is spent working in tobacco drying sheds on Missouri plantations. Freed at the onset of the Civil War, he's alone, starving, and on the run from Confederate militiamen.

Five years later, Clara Hanfield, the daughter of a powerful New York shipping magnate, escapes her tyrannical father and travels west in pursuit of John Elliot, the man she loves. John, a U.S. Army lieutenant, was sent to the Dakota Territory where he discovers a government conspiracy to incite an all-out war with the Indians; a war meant to finally eliminate them as an obstacle to the westward expansion.

Henry finds himself caught in the middle.

Aided by Clara, John, and his Cheyenne ally, Standing Elk, Henry must battle hatred, greed, and the ghosts of his past during this turbulent and troubling time in American history.