Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil emerges as a tantalizing true crime tale ensconced in the deep allure of Savannah's social fabric. John Berendt offers readers an intimate glimpse into a speckled tableau of the city's populace—ranging from high society dames to a formidable black drag queen. Amidst this milieu lies the core event—a murder that shakes Savannah to its core. Berendt, an erstwhile editor of a New York magazine, acquaints us with the affluent yet enigmatic antiques dealer Jim Williams, and his tumultuous relationship with the young hustler, Danny Hansford. A fatal shooting spurs a labyrinth of intrigue, while fringe characters like a voodoo priestess and a morose inventor thicken this already dense narrative web. As the trial of Williams unfolds, so do the layers of this rich Southern locale—its secrets, its prejudices, and its paradoxes. All in all, Berendt crafts an inimitable account that fuses murder mystery with a piquant exploration of a city and its singularly eccentric citizens.