"We found Jim's book to be thoroughly researched, scrupulously fair and accurate, and engagingly written . . . His terms are reasonable and he is an easy man to work with." - Jay D. Doherty, President, City Club of Chicago

"An Illinois political expert." - Edward McClelland, Salon.com

"We're going down to Springfield and pass a law that every voter in Illinois has to read this book before they can cast their first vote." - Larry P. Horist and Kevin Morris, Illinois lobbyists, about my new book, The Man Who Emptied Death Row (they were kidding - I think).

The Man Who Emptied Death Row: Governor George Ryan and the Politics of Crime, my fifth book, will be published in September 2008. I conducted exclusive interviews with Ryan before he went to federal prison in 2007. To read the Introduction to the book, click here. To order the book, click here .

My other books about politics and history have won praise both from academic journals and the mainstream press—a rare double play. To look them over, click here .

I am an independent writer, editor, and consultant in Chicago. To see what I can do for you, click on the Services button at the left.

I grew up in the Appalachian hills of southern Ohio. Actually, I never really left. My brother, sister, and I restored an historic building in our hometown and opened a restaurant and antique mall. Pay a visit by clicking on the Marv’s Place and Ethel’s Attic logos.

Here in Chicago, I serve as president of the Society of Midland Authors, which was founded in 1915. We have monthly programs with prominent writers—click on the logo for information.

I was graduated magna cum laude ­from Harvard University and hold a master’s in communications from the University of Pennsylvania. At the Chicago Sun-Times and the Atlanta Constitution, I worked as the political writer, columnist, and city editor. Also, I have taught journalism at the graduate level at Northwestern and Ohio State universities.

In 1995 I left the corporate world to be my own boss. Well, that’s not quite true. When you enlist my writing and editing services, you’re my boss. Contact me at jlm@jamesmerriner.com.