Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1999) John Berendt

I read this book several years ago, after listening to the abridged version as an audio book. I was looking for something that I could read a little bit of and put down, so this seemed a good choice.

Author John Berendt traveled to Savannah on a whim, and liked it so much he began to spend more and more time there, commuting back and forth from New York. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil tells not just of the fascinating people he met there, but also of a sensation murder, and the trial(s) that followed.

The thing that I like best about the story is that it’s non-fiction. If someone tried to write this as fiction, you’d probably say the story was too unbelievable. Except that it happened. Joe Odom, The Lady Chablis, Emma Kelly. All individuals living in Savannah that John Berendt met.

The book is actually two different things. The first half of the book is a series of characters sketches of the different people John Berendt met in Savannah. The second half of the book concentrates primarily upon the trial of Jim Williams for the murder of Danny Hansford.

And I can’t decide which part I like better.
Rating: 8/10

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