McCracken Poston Jr.

Zenith Man

Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom

Zenith man

Alvin Ridley

 

March 3, 1942 - July 2, 2024

AJC Article

 

‘Zenith Man’ gets late-in-life hug from Ga. town that once feared him

Zenith man

Nominated for Crime Book of the Year

 

CrimeCon’s Clue Awards, to be Hosted by Ashleigh Banfield
Zenith man

The Chris Voss Show Podcast

 

"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."

Zenith man

True Crime Legends Speak

"A case that simply defies belief.  You can't make something like this up!"

- Paul Dowling, Executive Producer, with Vince Sherry, Senior Producer, Forensic Files

"Was this a case of murder - or a most unusual love story?"

- Bill Kurtis, A&E's American Justice

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McCracken Poston is a good storyteller and has a good story to tell, with the kinds of twists and turns that will make readers think it’s great fiction—except it all happened.

Jon Meacham

New York Times bestselling author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize



Poston found himself defending a guy everyone thought was guilty in what appeared to be a slam-dunk murder case. But the amazing truth in this true crime drama is there was no crime at all. It’s one hell of a story.

Jonathan Karl

author of Betrayal, Chief Washington Correspondent for ABC News



Poston is a natural storyteller in the great Southern Gothic tradition. He sees the pain, but finds the humor, too, and ultimately the humanity, turning a tale of murder into a remarkable story of love, friendship and justice.

Rory Kennedy

Emmy Award‑winning documentary filmmaker



McCracken King Poston Jr.’s skillful account in Zenith Man is a warning about prejudice, a rush to judgment, and how Americans who are different can be swept up unfairly in our justice system. An inspiring tale about courage and how both lawyer and client helped each other find redemption. A must-read.

Pete Earley

New York Times bestselling author of The Hot House, Crazy, and No Human Contact



Poston's unique voice has brought to life two fascinating characters thrown into a case that challenges our basic assumptions about law enforcement, the courts, and the media. You won't be able to put down The Zenith Man until the very last word.

Charles Bosworth, Jr, and Joel Schwartz

authors of Bone Deep
McCracken Poston Jr

McCracken Poston Jr

McCracken King Poston Jr, is a criminal defense attorney and former state legislator in the Georgia House of Representatives. He gained national attention for his handling of several notable cases that were featured on CNN Presents, Dateline NBC, A&E’s American Justice and Forensic Files.

Book Clubs

McCracken Poston Jr. is scheduling Book Clubs for  private appearances!  Depending on location and availability, the session could be in person or virtual! 

Book Now!

McCracken Poston Jr and Alvin Ridley, 2023.

LATEST NEWS

McCracken Poston Jr

Proud to share that Alvin’s story held at #1 in Biographies of People with Disabilities on Amazon Books for over a day—with consistent presence in the top-3 over the past 48 hours.
And he was a hit in New York City!

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Tonight, NYC, 7 PM
I’ll be reading from “Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom”at KGB Bar (main room). True crime, courtroom chaos, and a man long misunderstood.
📍 85 E 4th St
🕖 Free entry | First 40 get a signed hardcover
🔗 https://kgbbar.com/event/zenith-man-readings-and-author-talk/

Humbled that after fifteen months, my book has again hit to top (albeit briefly) of Amazon's Best Sellers Ranks in the category of "Books About Persons With Disabilities" and broke into the Top Ten (#7) in the Amazon general category of "Biographies & Memoirs" - Thank you all for…

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Grateful that Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom was recognized by the Georgia Independent Author Awards. Thank you to everyone reading and sharing this story of justice, misunderstanding, and redemption.

Turns out Reddit likes a courtroom full of cockroaches.
My AskMeAnything about the strangest trial of my life is closing in on 1 million views.
Tap in:
https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1kh8nm8/im_mccracken_poston_jr_a_criminal_defense/

Just shy of 1 million views on this Reddit AskMeAnything (AMA) about the true story of Alvin, a reclusive TV repairman accused of holding his wife captive for 30 years. I was his lawyer. Spread the word.
See Q&A's here: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1kh8nm8/im_mccracken_poston_jr_a_criminal_defense/

Honored that Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom is a finalist for Georgia Author of the Year in Memoir. Grateful to @GAWriters and proud to stand with such powerful Georgia stories. #ZenithMan #Memoir #TrueCrime #Neurodiversity

For those interested in the full story, here’s my Reddit AMA where I talk about Alvin’s case, the trial, and what came after:

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