I finished Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil last night. It ends up being a good book, but it takes a while to get there. It’s a narrative non-fiction story covering an alleged murder in Savannah, GA. The book is highly atmospheric in a Southern Gothic way, representing Savannah as a quirky town full of genteel Southerners, but also a place where anything goes.

I really don’t understand how it’s one of the longest-running NYT bestsellers of all time. The murder that drives the story doesn’t happen until about 40% into the book. Before that, it’s a meandering story of a NY writer moving to Savannah and the hijinks he gets into with a too-crazy-to-believe but 100% real cast of characters. Once the (alleged) murder happens, the story picks up through the trials of the alleged murder.

All I can think is that in 1990, before travel videos on YouTube and Vloggers, 98% of America knew absolutely nothing about Savannah and thus were just totally captivated by the atmospheric storytelling in this book. When I visited Savannah a couple of years ago, the local tour guide referred to Savannah as Slowvannah, and I have to admit, I was a little underwhelmed by the city. Also, I lived in Atlanta from 1989 to 1998 and never once visited Savannah. I thought about Saint Patrick’s Day in the city a couple of times, but it never worked out.

So I’m glad to have knocked off a “classic.” If you have not read it, I would not necessarily jump it to the top of your TBR list. The exception is if you are planning to visit Savannah. I would definitely read it first in that case. I read South of Broad before visiting Charleston, and it added to the experience.

Posted on December 24, 2025   #Books