# Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story - Hardcover

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by **John Berendt** (Author)

**_NEW YORK TIMES_ BESTSELLER - A modern classic of true crime, set in a most beguiling Southern city--now in a 30th anniversary edition with a new afterword by the author**

**The basis for the upcoming Broadway musical, coming in 2025!**

"Elegant and wicked . . . might be the first true-crime book that makes the reader want to book a bed and breakfast for an extended weekend at the scene of the crime."--_The New York Times Book Review_  
  
Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty, early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. In this sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative, John Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case.

It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman's Card Club; the turbulent young gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the "soul of pampered self-absorption"; the uproariously funny drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young people dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight. These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else.

Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, _Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil_ is a sublime and seductive reading experience.

### Front Jacket

Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty, early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. John Berendt's sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative reads like a thoroughly engrossing novel, and yet it is a work of nonfiction. Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case.

  
It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman's Card Club; the turbulent young redneck gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the "soul of pampered self-absorption"; the uproariously funny black drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young blacks dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight. These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else.

  
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story is a sublime and seductive reading experience. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city is certain to become a modern classic.

### Back Jacket

Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty, early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. John Berendt's sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative reads like a thoroughly engrossing novel, and yet it is a work of nonfiction. Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case. It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman's Card Club; the turbulent young redneck gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the "soul of pampered self-absorption"; the uproariously funny black drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young blacks dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight. These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story is a sublime and seductive reading experience. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling southern city is certain to become a modern classic.

### Author Biography

**John Berendt** was born in New York in 1939 and graduated from Harvard University in 1961. While at Harvard, he was on the editorial board of the _Harvard Lampoon_. From 1961 to 1969, he was an associate editor at _Esquire_ and later wrote for David Frost and Dick Cavett. Berendt served as editor of _New York_ magazine from 1977 to 1979 and wrote a monthly column for _Esquire_ from 1982 to 1994. Berendt is the author of _Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil_, which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, and _The City of Falling Angels,_ a #1 _New York Times_ bestseller.

**Number of Pages:** 416

**Dimensions:** 1.3 x 9.57 x 5.98 IN

**Publication Date:** January 13, 1994

**Award:** Book Sense Book of the Year Award (1995)

**Accelerated Reader:**

**Quiz Name:** Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

**Interest Level:** Upper Grades, 9-12

**Reading Level:** 6.2

**Point Value:** 21

## Details

- **Price:** 39.0 GBP
- **Vendor:** BooksCloud
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** 20th Century, Books, Crime, Fiction, History, Murder, Price Written on Book, State & Local, Thrillers, True Crime, United States

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 39.00 GBP | Out of stock |

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- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story

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