True Crime If You Love Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Some murder cases have made their mark on history for their societal impact, brutal nature, and historical significance. Within the true crime genre, journalists who investigated these crimes, and authors who have received detailed accounts about these cases tell the story of the months or years that went into solving them. For the 30th anniversary of its publication, revisit Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and discover other true crime books that also read like fiction. From stories that cover cases of the 1800s to murders from the modern day, investigate alongside the authors to understand these cases and their significance.
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Add to BookshelfMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
by John Berendt
On May 2, 1981, historic preservationist James Williams shot sex worker Danny Hansford at the Mercer House — one of the last of Savannah’s great mansions. In this narrative, the Mercer House is just as much of a character as the people, holding the truth of the shooting within its walls — was it really self-defense as Williams claimed or was it premeditated murder? Berendt weaves in the alleged details of the altercation — Hansford shooting a displayed gun of Williams’s at him only to be shot back and killed by Williams — with other colorful characters like a drag queen, a con artist, and a voodoo priestess who give you a reprieve from the gruesome tale — and reveal just how many secrets make up a small town.
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The Devil in the White City
by Erik Larson
Detailing the events of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, Larson follows its architect and Director of Works Daniel H. Burnham, and con artist and serial killer Dr. Henry H. Holmes. As the seemingly parallel stories track the development of the Fair and its setbacks, and Dr. Holmes’s scams and murders, the connection between the two men who never met becomes clear. Setting up his World’s Fair Hotel, Holmes used the Fair to lure in hotel guests — and his victims. Burnham’s difficulties surrounding the Fair and Holmes’s abhorrent cons and murders amplify just how tragic — and deadly — the Fair really was.
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Killers of the Flower Moon (Movie Tie-in Edition)
by David Grann
Recently the critically acclaimed film swept the awards season — take another look into the crimes against the Osage Nation with the book the film was adapted from. Grann explores the story of Oklahoma’s Osage Nation in the 1920s, and how the discovery of oil under their land led them to become the richest people per capita — until they all mysteriously began to die. From a calculated marriage that sparked the events that came to be known as the Reign of Terror, Grann examines the way the case was handled, the obstacles it faced, and the steps and collaborative efforts between the newly established FBI and Osage people to finally bring it all crashing down.
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Just Mercy (Movie Tie-In Edition)
by Bryan Stevenson
After the death of a young white woman — Ronda Morrison — in 1986, police pointed their finger at Walter McMillian, a Black man with little evidence against him. After sitting on death row for a crime he was adamant he didn’t commit, young lawyer Bryan Stevenson came onto the scene determined to free McMillian as part of the Equal Justice Initiative. As the founder of the EJI, Stevenson comments on the other wrongly incarcerated people that he has helped navigate the system determined to harm them. Stevenson’s account oscillates between examining systemic racism — particularly in the disproportionate levels of incarceration — and telling McMillian’s story from beginning to end.
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Missing from the Village
by Justin Ling
When journalist Justin Ling heard news of the disappearance of three different men from Toronto’s gay village, he knew that this was the work of a serial killer. Despite police not finding a link between the three and marking the cases as “open but suspended,” Ling began an investigation of his own. As more men went missing over six years, Ling exposed the systemic homophobia, transphobia, and racism that allowed these crimes to continue until Bruce McArthur was caught and sentenced to life in prison in 2019. Filled with interviews and Ling’s own account of his research, discover the tragedy that was brought upon Toronto’s queer community and the effort it took to advocate for its survival and safety.
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In Cold Blood
by Truman Capote
In a book that kickstarted the true crime genre, Capote’s In Cold Blood captures an account of what happened to those involved in the 1959 quadruple homicide of the Clutter family — the victims, their families, and the killers themselves. Capote, with the help of To Kill a Mockingbird’s Harper Lee, traveled to Kansas to report on the investigation before the culprits were caught. Although there was seemingly no motive for the murder of Herb and Bonnie Clutter and their children Nancy and Kenyon, Capote examines the events again, finding the reasons behind Perry Smith and Richard Hickock’s brutal killings. Although this was Capote’s final book, it left its mark on history and the genre.
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Furious Hours
by Casey Cep
Harper Lee makes another appearance in the case of Reverend Willie Maxwell and the murders he committed. Organized into sections titled “The Reverend,” “The Lawyer,” and “The Writer,” Cep examines how Maxwell was able to get away with these murders — among other crimes — and the outlandish explanations that excused him. Meet the lawyer who successfully defended Maxwell up until his assassination, and then went on to be hired by his assassin Robert Burns — winning his case. Dive into Lee’s unfinished novel — The Reverend —based on these events. Though she didn’t finish writing it, her book wasn’t wasted — it inspired this one.
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The Other Wes Moore
by Wes Moore
A paper runs two stories of different men with the same name, Rhodes Scholarship winner — and writer of this book — Wes Moore, and convicted murderer, Wes Moore. After the coincidence, Moore reached out to Wes Moore in prison, looking to understand why he committed his crimes. Although they are completely different men, their stories of a difficult childhood led Moore to ponder how two similar paths diverged so starkly — how he could’ve become like the other Wes Moore. Moore’s story points to the importance of guidance and mentorship programs for youth to avoid the tragic road that is all too easy to go down.
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Some People Need Killing
by Patricia Evangelista
At the beginning of his presidential rule in 2016, Rodrigo Duterte carried out extrajudicial killings to combat the Philippine drug war. Journalist Patricia Evangelista documented the six-year story of the thousands of murders carried out by President Duterte — and the fear of the people who lived under this constant threat of violence. By taking stories from survivors, as well as those who were innocent bystanders — experiencing violence as a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time — and from her own family’s connections, Evangelista paints a horrific picture of the experiences under a president who truly believed that some people needed killing to clean up the country.
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And I Don’t Want to Live This Life
by Deborah Spungen
In 1979, Nancy Spungen was stabbed to death by the Sex Pistols’ bassist Sid Vicious at the Chelsea Hotel. While her parents mourned the loss of their daughter, this candid memoir reveals that her death brought them some sense of relief. After a difficult childhood linked to complications during birth, Nancy’s adolescence proved to be even more harrowing — experiencing drug addiction, mental and sexual health crises, and violent behavior. Once she moved to New York and met Sid Vicious, Spungen knew all hope was lost for her daughter. While highlighting Nancy’s own demons and troubles, Spungen divulges how she became a victim too.
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