Many newcomers to St. Tammany Parish may not know the name Bernard Smith, but he is well known to the so-called old timers. Smith was not only the mayor of Mandeville from 1976-1980, but he also served as a distinguished head of many local and state organizations during his long career as an attorney at law.

Currently an assistant district attorney for St. Tammany Parish, Smith has published a book, “Random Allotment,” which is a murder mystery/suspense novel centering its location between the cities of Mandeville, Covington and Abita.

The novel opens with the murder of two St. Tammany Parish detectives who were transporting heroin worth $50 million to the crime lab in Baton Rouge. Based on the slimmest of evidence, a young man named Wally Edwards is arrested and booked for the murder.

Through a series of events, Judge Ben Reed, the youngest member on the bench of the 22nd Judicial District Court, is snared in a web of deceit leading to his becoming the number one suspect in the murders, despite the arrest of Edwards.

Smith will present his book at the Franklinton Library Branch on Monday at 6 p.m.