Author To Sign New Legal Thriller In Peachtree City

Fairhope, Alabamaauthor Joseph H. Hilleywill sign copies of his newly released legal thriller, “Sober Justice,” at Books-A-Millionin Peachtree City December 18 from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.

In 1999, though unpublished and with no publishing prospects on the horizon, Hilley walked away from the practice of law and gave himself to the task he’d always wanted to pursue — writing full-time. Over the next five years, savings and investments vanished, along with
retirement accounts and life insurance.

By the time he found a publisher for his first book, “Sober Justice,” all his financial assets were depleted. His wife suggested, “Let’s sell the furniture.” They did. He now writes on a table he made himself with lumber salvaged from an abandoned barn. His study, once lined with cherry bookcases, is stacked with boxes of books, the shelves sold to meet the mortgage payment, along with most of the books they used to hold.

Set in the low country along Alabama’s Gulf Coast, the characters of “Sober Justice” reflect the rich regional flavor. Mike Connolly, a divorced, alcoholic, fifty-something attorney finds that his life takes an unpredictable turn when he is appointed to defend an indigent man accused of murdering a prominent plaintiff’s attorney. While defending his client, Connolly stumbles into a conspiracy and quickly finds himself in the midst of a complex web of intrigue and deceit. The action builds to a dramatic and surprising conclusion as Connolly, though facing certain death, finds freedom from the corruption that grips his soul.

Hilley is a native Alabamian, born in Birmingham and reared in Grand Bay near the vast expanses of marsh grass and low country which provide the backdrop for the book. “Sober Justice” is his first novel and a second novel featuring the same main character is scheduled for release in 2005. A third is planned for 2006.

Books-A-Millionis located at 258 City Circle in Peachtree City, Georgia. For more information call the store at 770-632-1296.