It has all the elements of classic suspense fiction: an old and prominent Georgia family, one of the richest men in the state, impending financial disaster, and an alleged conspiracy to murder a relative for the insurance proceeds. But in this case, it’s all true, and is reported in the autumn issue of award-winning Georgia Backroads magazine.

In a fascinating and detailed article A Killing on Ring Jaw Bluff, Georgia physician and author William Rawlings, right, explores the circumstances surrounding the 1925 murder trial and conviction of his great uncle, Charles G. Rawlings. “I grew up hearing whispered tales of my Uncle Charlie, my grandfather’s brother. Whenever I’d want to know more, my grandmother would change the subject, saying simply that he was a bad man who did bad things.”

Perhaps the mystery in his heritage inspired William Rawlings, M.D. and businessman, to also become William Rawlings, author of four entertaining mystery novels with well-drawn characters cavorting in small-town and coastal Georgia as well as Paris, France and other exotic locales.

William’s great uncle Charlie was indeed a very wealthy and powerful man in his day. Barry Gordy Sr., father of Motown Records founder Barry Gordy Jr., refers to him in his autobiography by saying, “He wasn’t the mayor, but he was a millionaire, and whatever he said was always done.”

Charlie’s parents had raised Charlie’s orphaned first cousin, Gus Tarbutton. Charlie became his guardian, and later his mentor and advisor. When Gus was charged with murder in 1906, Charlie Rawlings and his legal team arranged to have the county line surveyed, thus proving the crime took place in a friendlier county -- where it never came to trial. Nearly two decades later, Charlie himself was charged with murder. Supposedly he had arranged to murder Gus, to reap insurance proceeds that might save him from bankruptcy.

The 1925 trial was a spectacle, attended by hundreds eager to hear the State’s surprise eyewitness, an elderly farm worker who testified he’d witnessed the actual murder and then fled, fearing for his life. The author says, “I set out to write a story about a successful man whose greed pushed him over the edge. And then I read the transcript of the trial, and was stuck by the realization that at least one of the witnesses was lying. It changed the whole story….”

“Our readers enjoyed Dr. Rawlings’ article in a previous issue of Georgia Backroads and we are pleased to feature this intriguing tale of Georgia history in the autumn issue,” says Dan Roper, who publishes the quarterly magazine in Rome, Georgia. Filled with excellent writing and superb photography, Georgia Backroads is a premier source for information on Georgia history, nature, nostalgia and travel ideas. It is the most popular travel and history magazine in the state -- perfect for researching historic topics or family history, as well as for planning trips and weekend getaways in Georgia.

Look for Georgia Backroads in Barnes & Noble, Waldenbooks, CVS, grocery stores and news stands. For more information, to order back issues or to subscribe, see www.georgiabackroads.com or call 800-547-1625.

About physician/author William Rawlings Jr.

William Rawlings Jr. is a lifelong resident of Sandersville, Georgia where his family has lived for several generations. He practices medicine, writes novels, is a businessman and lives on the family farm with his wife and two children. Rawlings received his education at Emory and Tulane Universities and at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Rawlings has four mystery novels to his credit, with another to be published soon. His first, The Lazard Legacy, set in a small town not unlike Sandersville, became a best-seller. It spins a masterful tale of murder, deceit, lust and treachery in a remote corner of the Deep South.

His second book, The Rutherford Cipher has been optioned for a movie. “Matt Rutherford unearths the answer to that old mystery about what really happened to the Confederate gold,” says Rawlings.

His third thriller The Tate Revenge travels from Paris to Atlanta and involves Vidalia onions, antiques, the travel industry, art stolen by the Nazis, the Eiffel Tower, Serbian war criminals, Iranian terrorists, the Port of Savannah and Underground Atlanta.

Crossword, published in 2006, brings back the characters from The Rutherford Cipher who visit St. Simons and Sea Islands and decipher crossword puzzles that solve the mystery of a stolen fortune. Rawlings’ soon-to-be-published work, tentatively titled The Mile-High Club, is the third Matt Rutherford novel.

Rawlings will speak and sign books this fall at the Dahlonega Literary Festival in Dahlonega, Georgia on Nov. 6, 7, 8. He will also participate in the Kaolin Festival Oct. 10 in his hometown of Sandersville on the City Square.

He enjoys speaking to civic and book clubs, historical societies and other groups. For more information, see his articles, photos and book-ordering sources at: www.williamrawlings.com. Reach him by phone at 478-552-1125.

Media contact: Gay Watson, 678-596-2889, gcwatson@mindspring.com