The 216 weeks that Berendt鈥檚 book spent on The New York Times bestseller list is still a record. A murder mystery set in Savannah, Georgia, the book is a rare case where popular and critical success coincided. It鈥檚 a suspenseful detective story with a taut narrative structure. It鈥檚 an immersive plunge into the mores and idiosyncrasies of society in the Deep South. It鈥檚 an affectionate and evocative depiction of several outlandish and outsized characters. The only thing it鈥檚 not is fiction.
