Savannah, Georgia. A simple place with simple people enjoying their simple unchanging town. They, in their own words, “ just happen to like things exactly the way they are!’” (Berendt, 30). They want nothing to do with the outside world, nothing to do with anything in fact but their drinks, their parties, and their consistent lifestyles. Straightforward, yes? No—Their town is anything but straightforward, simple, unchanging, or anything of that liking. 

John Berendt through the entirety of the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is recounting a detailed story of his own experiences in Savannah, Georgia and although he admits to taking a few creative liberties, it is for the sole purpose of enhancing and remaining faithful to the characters of the people he mentions.

The simplicity of the town is well established but fleeting, creating contrast between that and the true nature of complexity. The novel follows Berendt as he recounts the event of, and those leading up to, a murder in Savannah, Georgia, 1981. With him you enter parties such as those of his good natured but shifty neighbor Joe, watch drag queens like Lady Chablis perform, attend prestigious Married Woman’s Card club meetings, take in endless rumors, and observe political and social controversy all along the way to the main event, carried out with a bang.  Every detail of the novel from start to finish is a shocking twist to capture the reader’s attention.

His use of diction and descriptive language brings the characters and settings of the book to life so much so that you could swear you were actually there in Savannah, drinking at their parties and observing their way of life with him. Although there is a lull at the beginning of the book, it is only to create suspense through the  simplicity and contrast with the town’s true complexity which drives the plot and events of the novel further. Behrendt's masterful storytelling style of captivating the reader with a unique event in each chapter is evident from beginning to end.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is an incredible nonfiction novel for anyone looking for a good mystery and story in general. While some portions of the book are a little risqué (intended for young adults at the very youngest), it is nonetheless a fantastic story that anyone should give a shot.