New Lake Lanier Novel

 "The Home Place" is a novel by by Mike Addington based on two mysterious deaths in Lake Lanier over 50 years ago. The writer was living in the Gainesville area and was 7 years old when his family received a call in the middle of the night in December 1956. One uncle had been found dead outside of a submerged car in Lake Lanier, while another uncle was missing and also presumed drowned. The bodies of both men were located in a shallow inlet of the lake in Forsyth County.

All the characters and locations in "The Home Place" have been changed, although almost all of his family members involved have since passed on. His work does, however, include a disclaimer that says it's based on actual events. "The Home Place" features a rural family and its children, who grow up and become involved with a local criminal who forces them into difficult decisions.

The Historical Basis of the Book  

Addington was granted permission by The Gainesville Times to use its front page story from Dec. 13, 1956, and the headline that read, "Body of J.C. Tanner Found In Lake; Companion Sought". The name of the newspaper and the headline were changed for the book cover and Addington faded out the article's text to avoid giving away the ending, he said.  

According to Times archives, Addington's uncles, Tanner and John Irvin, were found drowned in Lake Lanier near where Keiths Bridge Road entered the water in Forsyth County. Authorities ruled that both men died accidentally. Both had been last seen more than two days before their bodies were found outside the vehicle in which they had been riding.

The Mystery  

The right front and left rear windows of Irvin's car, a 1956 Oldsmobile, were rolled down when it was pulled from the lake. That fact still haunts Addington:

Authorities never determined exactly when the vehicle went into the lake, but a watch belonging to Tanner was found stopped at six o'clock.

Background  

L.H. Barnette, Forsyth County chief deputy sheriff at the time, said the two men were likely returning home to Gainesville from Atlanta, but "he did not know whether they had stopped at 'Club 19,' a Forsyth County establishment, as earlier reports had indicated," a story that ran in the Dec. 16, 1956, edition of The Times stated.  

Tanner, 29 at the time of his death, was the son of Jewell Tanner, a candidate for sheriff in Hall County, and part owner of Tanner and Lloyd's Cafe on North Bradford Street. Irvin, 35 when found drowned, worked for C.V. Nalley Co. Both were married and had children.