#37: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil stands as having some of the most vibrant characters I have read about in a while. It’s a true story about Savannah, Georgia and the murder trial of prominent social figure Jim Williams. My favorite character in the book, however, is Lady Chablis. She’s a transvestite lounge singer who is often found saying things like, “Oooooooo child” and “I don’t mix clientele”. The writing allows for Lady Chablis and the entire population of Savannah to come alive on the page, making it easy to follow along through endless legal blunders and society misgivings. I’m also getting to the point where my love for true crime books is growing at astronomical rates, so be prepared for a few more mystery books this year.

Side note: Although this book was made into a movie with a pretty good cast and excellent mediocre reviews, I’m kind of burnt out on books that have been made into movies. The read-and-watch turn around is getting kind of old.