John Hall publishes his first novel in a series of five

For generations, residents in the small town of Norman Park in Colquitt County, Georgia, have enjoyed peaceful streets, charming and tranquil neighborhoods, and a close-knit community. Since its founding in 1902, the average population has hovered just under 1,000 citizens. For a boy growing up there in the 1960s and 1970s, reading thriller fiction was a way to escape the serene atmosphere and enter a world of mystery, suspense, and intrigue. For a man who grew up there it offers the perfect setting on which to base a novel about murder.

John Everett Hall, ’84, recently released his first novel Gnats, Humidity, and Murder. Brimming with colorful characters and intriguing local lore, the page-turning story is set in the 1970s in Pear Valley, Georgia, a fictional town with similarities to Norman Park. Many of the stories and events in the book are influenced by Hall’s own experiences and those of his friends. While at Mercer Law, Hall interned with the U.S. attorney’s office and some of the book’s stories are based on what the office prosecuted while he was there.

Gnats features attorney Jack Sutton and his wife Ruby who leave the bustling city of Atlanta for the sleepy small town where Jack is appointed to represent a young widow accused of murdering her older, wealthy husband. The Suttons discover that beneath the lush gardens and rolling farmlands, their new community isn’t as peaceful as it appears.

Hall, whose favorite authors are Michael Crichton, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway, has always been interested in writing fiction, saying he found it to be a good hobby. A Double Bear, Hall enjoyed writing fiction while serving on the staff of the Mercer Dulcimer (Mercer’s literary and arts magazine).

Hall says it took about three years to write Gnats, the first book in a series of five, mostly using down time while traveling for work. As any true southern author would, Hall subtly weaves in things that keep Georgia in the forefront of the readers’ minds – suffocating heat, oppressive humidity, gnats, pecans, and sweet tea.

The second book in the series, Murder in Pear Valley, is in the editing phase but not yet scheduled for publishing. The third book, Murder at the Yacht Club, involves Jack and Ruby Sutton moving back to Atlanta. In the fourth book, Jack is investigating internationally after a virus is released by a repressive regime. Hall says he pulls from his own experiences as honorary counsel for the Country of Georgia, where he works to develop international relationships between the State of Georgia and the Country of Georgia. The fifth book, AI, Lies, and Murder is about a hospital AI designed to prevent medical mistakes but is accused of killing a patient.

In 1989, Hall founded Hall Booth Smith, one of Atlanta’s largest law firms. The Georgia-based practice has expanded to 11 states and is considered one of the finest litigation firms in the Southeast.

Today, Hall says most of his reading consists of briefs and depositions for his law practice, along with writing his own works. As for the best book he’s ever read, he says, “My mama would be disappointed if I didn’t say the Bible.”

Gnats, Humidity, and Murder is available on Amazon.