J B Millhollin

An intense courtroom drama...Robert Jones had indeed enjoyed a full life. But after practicing for nearly half a century and after losing the love of his life, he was ready to shut down. Nothing mattered anymore. His wife had passed. As the result of an automobile accident, he had lost his son and daughter-in-law. His only grandson had run away while a teenager and never been located. Robert had reached the point where he simply wanted to end it all and stop the pain. But then came that phone call-the phone call that suddenly created a reason for living-his runaway grandson had been found. However, along with that phone call, came an obligation to practice criminal law, which, for him, would present a significant challenge. Robert was not qualified to practice in that area of law. The cases he handled in that field had turned into a disaster. With only a very few exceptions, Robert had never represented anyone charged with a major crime in all the years he had practiced. Eventually, the lives of both Robert and his grandson, will rest in the hands of twelve jurors. For his grandson, if found guilty, the sentence would send him to prison for the rest of his life. For Robert, a verdict of guilty would, for all intents and purposes, mean the end of his relationship with his only living relative and a grandson he loves with all his heart. It all comes down to a verdict which will either send Robert into the depths of depression or reestablish his family. In the final analysis, absolutely nothing mattered other than the verdict of those twelve jurors.

Assistant District Attorney General Susan Jackson was an excellent prosecutor and loved what she did. She was definitely a bright and shining star in the prosecutor's office. So, it was no surprise to friends or co-workers when, upon weighing all her options, she decided to run for the highest prosecutorial office in Davidson Country-that of District Attorney General.Unfortunately, as she drove home from her office late one night, and as the election drew near, she was shot and murdered. Three years later, the investigation into her murder had turned cold. Law enforcement had no idea who murdered the charismatic young prosecutor. Detective Andy Price, initially had nothing to do with the investigation. But, upon reading a newspaper article about her cold case, he decided to do his own investigating, hoping he just might be able to uncover who had committed the crime. As he begins his investigation, he not only must deal with difficult suspects, but he must also deal with a significant lapse of time since the crime was committed. he interviews suspect after suspect in his effort to determine a motive-a reason to terminate the life of someone so personable and so effective within her professional life. After months of investigating, the detective comes to a firm conclusion as concerns the identity of the murderer. Unfortunately, the issue then becomes whether he can remain alive long enough to tell anyone.

Ann Jackson recently graduated from law school. Immediately after passing the exam, she found a job practicing law with an older, highly experienced attorney. Which, for her, was a dream come true. Now, if she could just silence the dreams-the nightmares she had experienced weekly since she was five years old-the night she watched through a thin space between the closet door frame and the door, as an unknown assailant murdered her mother. She had done all she could during the past twenty years to determine who had committed the crime that left her without a mother. But now, just as she believes she has found him, suddenly the tables are turned-he becomes the hunter, and she, the hunted.

The remaining members of both families call a truce and consolidate their efforts to protect one of their own. But knowing their history, how long can that last? As the world continues to stumble its way through the twentieth century and initial members of the families pass on, the hatred seems to dissipate as each faction moves in its own direction-Albert as a minister, Randall and Susan as attorneys. Surprisingly, a sudden turn of events finds both Susan and Randall on the same side of the council table, in the courtroom, fighting for the very life of Albert. The country struggles to find a way to resolve racial and sexual discrimination issues along with trying to understand the events of 9/11. However, inside that courtroom, Randall and Susan create a formidable legal team as they use every available legal maneuver they know, to save Albert from what would more than likely amount to a death sentence as he spends his foreseeable future in prison. At least superficially, all appears appropriate between the three remaining family members. But is it only just a matter of time before all those old family issues resurface once again?

During the mid-twentieth century, as both families relocate to Nashville, not even a world war. nor deadly racial conflict could deter the Masters family and the Jenkins family from continuing their own personal feud. As the world fell apart around them, the Jenkins Family and the Masters family remained oblivious. But as literally every individual's life was affected in some manner, by two world wars, the Vietnam conflict, and issues of race, neither family cared about anything other than the hatred that existed between them. Unfortunately, no one seemed to have an answer to resolve the wars nor the racial issues, just as no one seemed able to offer a satisfactory solution to end the continuing deadly conflict involving both families.

The war between both families during the early twentieth century, explodes, fueled by murder and moonshine. Back and forth they played their deadly game, with first one family assuming the role of antagonist and the other protagonist, then reversing their roles for the next confrontation.Even though both of the founding fathers of the Jenkins family and the Masters family were now gone, their absence only seemed to help fuel the animosity between remaining family members. Whether at a church social, or while tending their moonshine in the hills of middle Tennessee, the subject matter of their conflict seemed to expand exponentially, drawing in both old and new members to fight the battle.Eventually, both families found a new life in Nashville, away from the battlefield of Wilson County. But not long after settling, they soon determined even a city of that size wasn't large enough to avoid the conflict. Both families continued to find new methods to finish old issues. Using force and intimidation, their violence throughout the city of Nashville turned the streets red with family blood along with the blood of any innocent bystander unlucky enough to find himself caught in the crossfire.

In 1875, Clem Jenkins purchased a farm along the banks of Spencer Creek, just outside the town of Lebanon, Tennessee. The property bordered the farm of Thomas Masters, and, at least initially, the relationship between the two families, remained cordial. But once they disagreed concerning withdrawal of water from the creek, it seemed every conversation between the two men created an additional basis for an argument. Two men-each successful in getting exactly what they wanted, but doing so using two completely different methods. Clem achieved his desired result with force, using either his .45, or some other strong-arm method. George was successful while using his intellect, and his ability to persuade. Both approaches were successful in prior dealings with others. But neither method worked when it came to the issues involving each other. Whatever the issue might be-whether it involved water rights, their crops, their children, or their women-they simply could not agree on anything. So began a never-ending deadly game of conflict, litigation, and murder, involving the families, their spouses, their children and their grandchildren. Even as both families grew through the years and eventually moved to Nashville, the conflict continued, spilling out into the streets through four generations, until finally coming to a completely unpredictable ending in 2016.