LIFER,
coming April 2025.
Using his experiences as a criminal attorney and the roots of people and places he’s known, John Rhea crafts an intimately gripping debut novel surrounding the complexities of family, relationships, morality, and justice.
Through the eyes of Jack Merritt, a lawyer from South Carolina, LIFER tells the story of serving a life sentence for murder through flashbacks of Jack’s life, the events leading up to the unthinkable criminal act, and present-day tensions building within the prison — threatening Jack’s life. Dive deep into the locale of the prison and meet Jack’s (nicknamed Counselor) fellow inmates and loved ones, including Easy Ed, Scuzz, Lars and Torch (collectively known as the Firm), Miguel (or Padre) the prison chaplain, and Jack’s sometimes reckless and often charming cousin Gil. Through LIFER, John Rhea sucks readers into the world of Jack, Gil, and every other peculiar piece of Jack’s story.
LIFER reminds us that anything is possible; that any number of circumstances can lead to uncharacteristic acts; that we are all only a couple of bad decisions away from ruining our lives and the lives of those we love.
"Given the right circumstances, anybody is capable of anything."
Praise for LIFER
“Using his experience as a former defense lawyer, John Rhea gives his reader a vivid, at times visceral, depiction of one man’s attempt to survive the perils of both prison life and family loyalties. The novel’s engaging characters, pitch-perfect dialogue, and memorable scenes all build toward the book’s stunning conclusion. Rhea is a gifted novelist, and Lifer is a worthy contribution to North Carolina’s rich literary tradition.”
—Ron Rash, author of Serena and The Caretaker
“In John Rhea’s gripping debut novel, we follow attorney Jackson Merritt who finds himself sentenced to life in prison for murder—an act born of poor choices and misguided allegiance to his charismatic, older cousin Gil. Jackson navigates the harsh realities of incarceration while forging bonds with fellow inmates and guards alike as well as making dangerous enemies with the prison’s skinheads. Through these relationships he confronts his own morality and the complexities of justice. The author deftly explores themes of redemption, survival, and the intricate human connections that can flourish even in the darkest of places. With its rich character development and thought-provoking narrative, Lifer offers a powerful reflection on the choices we make and the paths we take. A compelling read that captivates and resonates long after its final, gut-punching sentence.”
—Michel Stone, author of The Iguana Tree and Border Child
“I was so impressed when I read early pages of what would become John Rhea’s magnificent novel Lifer, my only advice to him was to finish the thing. Now, to reader’s great good fortune he has done just that. The result is a powerful, deeply empathetic and wholly engrossing portrait of a world few of us know. The story is told through the eyes of Jack Merritt, a lawyer serving a life sentence for murder in a South Carolina prison. Jack’s intelligence, his sophisticated language, his humor and his empathy contrast with the grim, treacherous world of a state prison in a way that creates an unsettling, wholly absorbing dissonance that will keep the reader enthralled.”
—Tommy Hays, author of The Pleasure Was Mine