The important thing to remember about this book is that it is NON-fiction. While written in a fictionalized narrative (which makes it more entertaining to my way of thinking), this book is an homage to Savannah against the backdrop of a crime that takes place there. I’m glad I visited before I read it. I had a vivid picture of places I’d seen, although people who haven’t visited will also be able to see Savannah in beautiful detail.

The first half of the book acquaints you with the charm of the city, the welcoming diversity of people. The author is quickly embraced by everyone from entertainers to preservationists. He presents the politics that these people engender. I almost didn’t read this book based on reviews I’d read from people who were put off by the diversity of topics covered - until I realized it was the topics that put the reviewers off and not the book itself.

The second half of the book focuses more on the murder trial, which is foreshadowed by everything you learn about the society in the first half of the book. Local politics influence the outcome, and the juries chosen from the encapsulated population are asked to hear the details repeatedly as the trial is appealed and retried. Can justice be reached? At the center of it all is the beautiful city and the unique society that inhabits it.