Joseph H. Hilley (born June 29, 1956) is a New York Times Best Selling author. He was born in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

and grew up on the Gulf Coast in the town of Grand Bay, Alabama. He is a graduate of Asbury College,

Asbury Theological Seminary Asbury Theological Seminary is a Christian Wesleyan seminary in the historical Methodist tradition located in Wilmore, Kentucky. It is the largest seminary of the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. It is known for its advocacy of egalitarianism, giving ...

, and

Cumberland School of Law Cumberland School of Law is an American Bar Association, ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1847 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and is the 11th oldest law schoo ...

at Samford University.

Biography

Hilley began writing at night while practicing law as a criminal defense attorney. After completing two unpublished manuscripts, he quit the practice of law to concentrate on writing full-time. His first book, ''Sober Justice'' (David C. Cook), a

legal thriller The legal thriller genre is a type of crime fiction genre that focuses on the proceedings of the Criminal investigation, investigation, with particular reference to the impacts on courtroom proceedings and the lives of characters. The courtroom ...

, was published in 2004. Four more books followed. The novels, which feature a down-and-out attorney named Mike Connolly, became popular in the Southeast, especially along the Gulf Coast where the stories are set. In 2008, Hilley was tapped to write a leadership biography of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. That book, entitled ''Sarah Palin: A New Kind of Leader'' (

Zondervan Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). They are a part of HarperCollins Christian Publ ...

), reached

The New York Times Best Seller list ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

during the final two weeks of the 2008 presidential election campaign. Hilley continued to expand his work with non-fiction and in 2011 co-authored ''The Walk''. Part memoir, part instruction, the book was co-written with former NFL running back

Shaun Alexander Shaun Edward Alexander (born August 30, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the ...

. In 2012, he assisted Edythe Scott Bagley, sister of

Coretta Scott King Coretta Scott King ( Scott; April 27, 1927 – January 30, 2006) was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was married to Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his death. As an advocate for African-American equality, she ...

, in writing ''Desert Rose: The Life and Legacy of Coretta Scott King'', a memoir of the sisters and their involvement in the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Hilley spent a year of isolation delving into

number theory Number theory (or arithmetic or higher arithmetic in older usage) is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and integer-valued functions. German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) said, "Mat ...

. The result of that effort was summarized in ''Observations Regarding Non-Prime Odd Numbers'', released in 2021 by Dunlavy Gray. Nevertheless, the primary focus of his career has remained with fiction. Beginning in 2017, his original novels, the Mike Connolly mystery series, were reissued in print and as eBooks. During that same time, he released two works of general fiction (''What the Red Moon Knows'' and ''The Art Dealer's Wife'') and a collection of short stories (''The Legend of Dell Briggers'').

Published works

Mike Connolly Mysteries

#''Sober Justice'' (2004, reissued 2017) #''Double Take'' (2005, reissued 2019) #''Electric Beach'' (2006, reissued 2021) #''Night Rain'' (2007, reissued 2021) #''The Deposition'' (2007, reissued 2021) #''Sunset Motel'' (2022)

General Fiction

#''What The Red Moon Knows'' (2018) #''The Art Dealer's Wife'' (2020)

Short Stories

#''Edgar's List'', included in the 2006 anthology ''Heartwarming Christmas Stories'' #''The Legend of Dell Briggers - A Novella and Two Short Stories,'' (2020) #''Other People, Other Places - A Collection of Short Fiction,'' (2021)

Non-Fiction

#''Sarah Palin: A New Kind of Leader'' (2008) #''The Walk'', co-written with former NFL running-back

, (2011) #''Desert Rose: The Life and Legacy of Coretta Scott King'', written with Edythe Scott Bagley, sister of civil rights leader

. (2012) #''Observations Regarding Non-Prime Odd Numbers'' (2021)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hilley, Joe 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American male biographers Living people Christian novelists 1956 births Novelists from Alabama Writers from Birmingham, Alabama Asbury University alumni Asbury Theological Seminary alumni Cumberland School of Law alumni 21st-century American biographers People from Grand Bay, Alabama 21st-century American male writers