The leader of one of Atlanta’s largest law firms has found a way to indulge his passion for writing prose while maintaining a full-time health care practice.

John Hall, a founding partner of Hall Booth Smith in Atlanta, has published his first full-length fiction novel, “Gnats, Humidity and Murder,” which pulls from such experiences as his rural south Georgia upbringing, a brief stint in the U.S. attorney’s office in Macon, his familiarity with Atlanta’s social and cultural scene, and 40 years of practicing law.