{"product_id":"midnight-in-the-garden-of-good-and-evil-a-savannah-story-9780679429227","title":"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e 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 \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"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.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShots 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBrilliantly conceived and masterfully written, \u003ci\u003eMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evil\u003c\/i\u003e is a sublime and seductive reading experience.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Berendt\u003c\/b\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003eHarvard Lampoon\u003c\/i\u003e. From 1961 to 1969, he was an associate editor at \u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e and later wrote for David Frost and Dick Cavett. Berendt served as editor of \u003ci\u003eNew York\u003c\/i\u003e magazine from 1977 to 1979 and wrote a monthly column for \u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e from 1982 to 1994. Berendt is the author of \u003ci\u003eMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evil\u003c\/i\u003e, which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, and \u003ci\u003eThe City of Falling Angels, \u003c\/i\u003ea #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestseller.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Random House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50593034502418,"sku":"9780679429227","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c1633edf-ff54-4c8b-983f-5cc7e5b80a9e.jpg?v=1732110125","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/midnight-in-the-garden-of-good-and-evil-a-savannah-story-9780679429227","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}