Local Chattanooga attorney, Michael G. Williams, has published his first novel and is working on a second. His debut novel, The Four Horsemen, is a legal thriller set in Chattanooga and tells the hair-raising story of two local attorneys who unwittingly become entangled in a top secret, government conspiracy using the ill-gotten profits from the international drug trade to manipulate the global power structure.

Mr. Williams noted that the international drug trade is estimated to exceed $400 billion annually. "That’s a lot of money,” he said. “and with astronomical profit margins and insatiable demand, that underground economy provides unique opportunities for those on the shadowy side of America’s war on drugs to control world events and influence the global power structure. Just don’t get caught with your hands in their cookie jar."

The story opens in 1972, with Jeff Patten, a veteran Chattanooga attorney, receiving an urgent—albeit unusual—request from a new client to drop what he is doing and fly half-way across the country to retrieve a large cash investment for a new business venture. He reluctantly accepts the assignment and quickly figures out that all is not as it seems, but, before he can learn his client's true intentions, an unexpected accident takes his life, leaving his questions unanswered and millions of dollars unaccounted for.

Thirty years later, Jack Hixson, another Chattanooga attorney, is approached by a family friend, who also happens to be Jeff Patten's daughter, to look into the suspicious circumstances surrounding her father’s untimely demise. What he finds is a trail of cleverly disguised clues that set him on a perilous quest to locate the long lost money.

The Four Horsemen is described as "a fast-paced, legal thriller that poses some interesting theories and will leave the reader wondering how much of the story is actually fiction." The local setting makes The Four Horsemen particularly fun to read and you’ll often find yourself saying “I know where that is” as you plow through the suspense filled chapters.

The Four Horsemen is now available through the author’s website, www.michaelwilliamsbooks.com, through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, iUniverse.com, BooksAMillion.com and other online retailers. You can also order a copy through your local bookstore by telling them the title and the ISBN Number (0-595-34488-7).

Mr. Williams, son of local insurance executive, J. Pat Williams, and pediatric intensive care nurse, Vicki Cox, is working on his second novel, The Case for War, which he hopes to have ready by the summer of 2006.

Be on the lookout for Mr. Williams as he promotes his debut novel in the Chattanooga area. He’s got a lot of work ahead him though. “Writing The Four Horsemen,” he says, “was the “easy” part. Now, I’ve got to convince the rest of the country—and the world, for that matter— that reading it is worth their time and hard-earned money. I plan to concentrate my marketing efforts locally and build on that. As a new—and unknown— author, it is difficult to break into the publishing world. The large chain stores reserve their shelf space for what they consider “sure things” from established authors and new authors with large promotional budgets and national advertising campaigns to drive sales. Although my publisher provides little in the way of marketing dollars, I am determined to get the word out. I have received a very positive response and a lot of encouragement from readers, and I’m optimistic about getting some of our local, independent bookstores to stock copies of The Four Horsemen on their shelves. I am also trying to schedule book signings in the Chattanooga area where I can meet some of my readers and create a local buzz that I can build on regionally and then nationally.”

Mr. Williams was born and raised in Chattanooga. He attended The McCallie School, graduating in 1989, and received his bachelors degree in business administration from UTC. After graduating from the University of Memphis School of Law in December of 1997, Mr. Williams returned home and began practicing with one of Chattanooga's larger firms, Shumacker, Witt, Gaither & Whitaker, P.C. After five years, he left to open his own firm.

He currently practices with RobersonHinton, LLP, a small, minority owned, general practice law firm serving a variety of clients in various matters. Mr. Williams practices primarily in the areas of real estate, estate planning and business transactions.

Mr. Williams lives on Lookout Mountain with his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children, Savannah and Miller. To learn more about the author or his books, to see a schedule of upcoming book signings or to contact Mr. Williams, visit his website at www.michaelwilliamsbooks.com.