Minuit dans le jardin du bien et du mal

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A sublime and seductive reading experience, this engaging portrait of a beguiling Southern city has become a modern classic. On May 2, 1981, shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the incident and its aftermath resonated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. The narrative, both suspenseful and witty, reads like an engrossing novel while being a work of nonfiction. The author skillfully weaves a captivating first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists of a landmark murder case. It features a spellbinding array of characters: well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman's Card Club; a turbulent young redneck gigolo; a hapless recluse with a deadly bottle of poison; an aging Southern belle embodying pampered self-absorption; a hilarious black drag queen; an acerbic antiques dealer; a sweet-talking con artist; young blacks at the debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess casting spells in the graveyard. These Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues in a town where everyone knows everyone else.