J.N. Banta, Former Biotech Researcher, Debuts Fiction With Murder-Mystery Novel “All That Was Once Hidden”

Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk

J.N. Banta has published his first novel, "All That Was Once Hidden," a mystery centered on Michael Campbell, a man confronting the murder of his wife, Caroline, and the deceptions that follow. The book has been released through Christian Faith Publishing, according to the announcement.

The story follows Campbell as he searches for answers to his wife’s death, a search that the announcement says carries him from Washington, D.C. to Vatican City and sites tied to biblical history. The publisher describes the novel as tracing hidden crimes and personal reckonings that lead toward what it calls redemption, with the motive behind Caroline’s murder withheld until later in the book.

Banta spent his career as a scientist, working in academic research and the biotech industry, and has published technical and trade-journal articles rather than fiction, per the announcement. He said the move into fiction had been a long-standing goal, one he returned to after relocating with his wife to South Carolina’s Lowcountry. "This book is the culmination of a long-held desire to write a compelling work of fiction that explores the complexities of the human experience," Banta said in the release.

The novel touches on Vatican City and biblical-era settings, territory with a long history in religious fiction and devotional writing, genres that have used similar backdrops for well over a century to frame questions of faith and hidden truth.

"All That Was Once Hidden" is available through Christian Faith Publishing’s website and through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play and the Apple iTunes Store, the announcement states.

For Studio CarryOnHarry, the more interesting story is a career scientist choosing fiction, and specifically a faith-inflected thriller, as his first creative outlet after decades in technical writing.

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