Former Greensburg lawyer pens political thriller set in Westmoreland

“Settlers’ Cemetery,” a former Greensburg lawyer’s debut novel, may have tongues wagging in Greensburg.

The novel, by attorney and political gadfly Gary Fine, is peppered with the kind of scandalous tales I heard as a courthouse reporter in the 1980s, and then some.

Fast forward 40 years. Add a political double-cross, an unexpected congressional defeat, a wealthy, lecherous junk man with a lethal temper and an influx of Middle Eastern immigrants who bring Islamic law to the Westmoreland County Courthouse, and you have the makings of a fun romp.

Penned from South Florida, where Fine has practiced law since 1989, the story is set against a hefty dose of local landmarks. Greensburg, the county courthouse, Jeannette, the endless mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania and even Beaver Stadium come into play.

The book begins as Fine’s protagonist, Ben Barnett, an eight-term congressman who lost a nailbiter in a political double-cross, struggles to find his way after two decades in Washington.

It follows Barnett through a solo trip across Germany, where he revisits old haunts from his days as a student abroad hoping to gain his bearings anew. Along the way, Barnett is shocked by the changes that mass immigration has had on the quaint towns he recalls from college.

We follow him back to Greensburg, where he moves into the law practice his twin son and daughter have maintained with his longtime legal partner and political adviser.

Barnett sees the impact a new wave of immigration has had on a small Westmoreland County town. Eventually, monumental misunderstandings culminate in a terrorist attack that impacts Barnett’s political leanings and offers him a new entry to politics.

Fine, 69, of Fort Lauderdale, said he always knew he had a novel to write.

A Philadelphia native, Fine came to Westmoreland County fresh from law school and spent the first half of his career practicing law here and dabbling in Democratic politics. He was former U.S. Rep. Don Bailey’s campaign treasurer in the mid 1970s when Westmoreland County was the heartbeat of the old 21st Congressional District.

He headed south in 1989 and practiced law with Hillary Clinton’s brother, Hugh Rodham.

That connection helped him snare a seat in the nominee’s box, next to Bradley Cooper, at the 2016 Democratic Convention. It also planted the seed for a novel that he knew would have to include elements of politics set against a Westmoreland County background.

“I’ve been doing class-action work for about the last 15 years. But I always had the most fun practicing law when I was back in Greensburg,” Fine said.

He stays in touch with his former Greensburg law partner, Bill Wiker. The two have traded tales over the years on treks through India, Bhutan and Tibet.

Back in sunny South Florida, Fine said it took him about a year to write “Settlers’ Cemetery.” He self-published it late last year through Word Association Publishers in Tarentum. The novel is available on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com.

Although writing is part of a lawyer’s stock in trade, Fine quickly learned the novelist’s craft is another world altogether. He said he reworked his plot line several times when his editor, Tom Costello, sent his drafts back for revisions.

Fine said he’s working on a second novel that will follow Barnett and company through the ups and downs of another election.

“I’m the old man sitting in the corner office now that all of the young lawyers ask, ‘What do you do?’ I can’t get as excited or as passionate as I once was about the law, but I like writing. I’ve already started on the next book,” Fine said. “With the convention coming up, I’ve tentatively titled it ‘Convention.’ ”