Forest Bowman

Forest Jackson Bowman is an Emeritus Professor of Law at West Virginia University, where he taught for 23 years, during which time he was named “Professor of the Year” by an unprecedented 7 graduating classes. In 1988 he was named “Professor of the Year” for all of higher education in the state of West Virginia.

In his retirement from teaching law Bowman has enthusiastically jumped into the self-publishing world with three tales that have their genesis in his small-town West Virginia upbringing and his passion for historical mysteries.

Having spent his youth fascinated by what ordinary people do when faced with great peril, Bowman's characters, unlike those in many mystery/thrillers, are not fearless, nor are they trained in weaponry or hand-to-hand combat. They are ordinary people who, finding themselves in extraordinary - even life-threatening - situations, take the initiative and act with cunning and grit.

An accomplished public speaker who had a seminar business that took him to 31 states and 2 Canadian provinces while he was teaching, Bowman continues to offer presentations on leadership, success and various historical issues as well as delving into the background of his novels.

Bowman served from 1963 to 1967 as a commissioned officer in the Judge Advocate Generals Corps, Regular Army, where he defended soldiers in courts martial, including two capital cases. From March 2007 through February 2011 he served as Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for the state of West Virginia.

An avid collector of Civil War memorabilia and a serious student of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, in 2002 Bowman led the effort to create the West Virginia Mason-Dixon Civil War Round Table in Morgantown, WV. There he reports monthly on events that occurred that month during the Civil War and scatters his reports with his disdain for General George "I'll parade, but I won't fight" McClellan. His third novel, The Richmond Exchange, is set in the last year of the Civil War and reflects Bowman's deep knowledge of the war and of Confederae attempts to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln.

“Jack” Bowman has been married for over 62 years to the love of his life, Myla, and they have 2 sons and 3 grandchildren.

Recently Bowman's novel, All Our Yesterdays was named the winner of the 2023 Kindle Book Award in the Mystery-Thriller category. Kindle Book Awards are designed to recognize self-published or small press authors. The awards are based upon merit and not because the author buys promotion or any goods real or imagined from The Kindle Book Review and/or its sponsors, and the judges decisions are subjective and final.