Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and this is certainly true in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It’s an account of the 8 years that John Berendt spent in Savannah, Georgia. This book is not only a story of a murder, it’s also a travelogue of Savannah, and the eccentric people who live there.  The murder trials of Jim Williams grip the entire city and give them plenty to gossip about. Residents like a foul-mouthed drag queen, a former lawyer/bar owner who “borrows” electricity from his neighbors to bypass the electric company, and a man who still walks a dog who’s been dead for 15 years are some of the characters you’ll meet.

I was so engrossed in the book that I had to keep reminding myself that it’s a work of nonfiction. To me, it reads just like a novel. The book spent four years on the New York Times bestseller list, and it’s for good reason. If you want to get lost in the eccentric world of Savannah, check out Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

You might also like The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt. 

Carrie