John Rhea: Lifer with Tom Rash

John Rhea will visit City Lights on Saturday, June 28th at 3:00pm to share his new novel, Lifer, in conversation with Tom Rash.

Lifer is the story of Jack Merritt, a South Carolina lawyer serving a life sentence for murder. He blames his current circumstances on his reckless yet charismatic older cousin Gil Hampton. Through flashbacks from Jack’s life, we relive the chaotic events culminating in the unthinkable crime, as well as his and Gil’s dramatic trial and conviction. Jack, nicknamed Counselor, attempts to survive the perils and despair of incarceration by befriending some of his fellow inmates (Easy Ed, Booker, Panic, Torch), the guards (Hawk, Troll), and the prison chaplain, Miguel (the Padre). As tensions build and a conflict with another group of inmates—the Skinheads—escalates, the reader is drawn into the treacherous world of a maximum security prison.

Rhea’s novel is a cautionary tale about the dangerous intersection of family loyalty and rivalry. It reminds us that nothing is certain and that any one of us could be a couple of bad decisions away from ruining our lives and the lives of those we love.

A former criminal defense attorney, John Rhea graduated from Clemson University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. He lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina with his wife and their three rescue pets. This is his first novel.

You may also like the following events from City Lights Bookstore:

• Next Wednesday, 18th June, 06:00 pm, Nancy East: Historic Hikes in Western North Carolina in Sylva
• Next Saturday, 21st June, 03:00 pm, Mike Rayder: Altered On the Appalachian Trail in Sylva
• This month, 26th June, 06:00 pm, Elaine Neil Orr with Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle in Sylva

Also check out other Performances in Sylva, Arts events in Sylva, Theatre events in Sylva.