“Was this a case of murder—or a most unusual love story?” --Bill Kurtis, A&E’s American Justice
By turns humorous and heartbreaking, here is the fascinating true story of a young lawyer determined to free an innocent man accused of murder. Part nonfiction thriller, part courtroom drama, Zenith Man is also a moving account of unexpected friendship—and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of justice.
In October 1997, the town of Ringgold in northwest Georgia was shaken by reports of a murder in its midst. A dead woman was found in the home of reclusive local Alvin Ridley. Even more shocking, she was the wife few knew he had.
McCracken Poston had been a state representative before he lost his bid for U.S. Congress and returned to his law career. Alvin once sold and serviced Zenith televisions. Poston took on the task of defending him—little realizing the highly unusal challenges that lay ahead.
Gradually, Poston pieced together the full story behind Virginia and Alvin’s curious marriage and her cause of death—which was completely overlooked by law enforcement. His groundbreaking defense allowed Alvin to remain a free man. Years later, Alvin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a revelation that sheds light on how easily those who don’t fit societal norms can be castigated and misunderstood.
Compelling and thought-provoking, Zenith Man chronicles a quest that changed—and perhaps saved—the lives of two very different men.
CrimeCon 2024 Clue Award Book of the Year Finalist
Like a nonfiction John Grisham thriller with echoes of Rainman, Just Mercy, and a captivating smalltown Southern setting, this is the fascinating true story—sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking—of an idealistic young lawyer determined to free an innocent neurodivergent man accused of murdering the wife no one knew he had.
An inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice for readers of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Just Mercy.