The Kingdoms of Savannah

Starred review from May 2, 2022
This haunting literary thriller set in Savannah, Ga., from Edgar winner Green (Ravens) opens with crimes against two members of the city’s sizable homeless community—the stabbing murder of Luke Kitchens, a genial white kid in his early 20s, and the apparent abduction of Luke’s drinking buddy, Stony, a 43-year-old Black woman—a constituency not generally high among police priorities. But that changes with pressure from Luke and Stony’s friends Jaq Walker, a fearless Black aspiring documentarian, and her uncle by marriage, Ransom, disgraced scion of the powerful white Musgrove clan. And then most crucially of all, formidable family matriarch Morgana Musgrove, the operator of a detective agency left to her by her late husband, gets involved after receiving a suspiciously large retainer to investigate. As the uneasy allies work their respective contacts in an increasingly desperate effort to save Stony, as well as to figure out who wanted to make her disappear and why, they get unmistakable warnings to back off, including a second murder and a suspicious “suicide.” Deeply rooted in Savannah’s at times horrific history, yet looking hopefully toward the future, this provocative page-turner is sure to enthrall a broad spectrum of readers. Green is writing at the top of his game. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Agency.

Starred review from July 1, 2022
Savannah, Georgia, is a beautiful town with an intriguing history and more than its share of dark secrets. Luke, a bipolar, gay white man who models for students at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and his friend Stony, a Black woman archaeologist, are enjoying drinks at Bo Peep's, a popular local bar. Jaq, the bartender and a Black MFA student, is their friend. An hour later, Luke is dead, and Stony has disappeared. The murder and disappearance are attracting untoward attention in tourist-dependent Savannah, and the city's movers and shakers--eager to end the bad press--turn to one of their own, society maven Morgana Musgrove, who runs a sleepy detective agency. Morgana launches an investigation and enlists her four unwilling children to help, appealing to their self-interest. They will uncover ugly truths that rock Savannah's power structure and tarnish the names of many prominent families. This fascinating story takes readers from homeless encampments to elegant homes as Morgana and her children probe the doings of a strange, dysfunctional family and discover appalling injustices in the city's past. Based on historical events, Green's literary thriller will draw those who loved John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

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Starred review from July 1, 2022
In the wake of a tragic death and a kidnapping, a dysfunctional family at the center of Georgia high society discovers painful truths in the shadows just beyond Savannah's historic gas lamps and gazebos. When ruthless land developer Archibald Guzman is arrested for the arson death of a local drunk, he attempts to buy the support of the Musgrove family, a crumbling yet still influential cornerstone of the Savannah elite. Morgana, the headstrong matriarch and, now that her husband is dead, proprietor of the investigation agency that is one of the family's businesses, accepts the controversial case in return for the promise of a windfall she hopes will slow their eroding finances. She knows the accompanying scandal will further strain her already embattled family, and soon they are all working at cross purposes. Ransom, her rebellious vagabond-by-choice son, sees Guzman as an enemy of the homeless, and Jaq, her aspiring filmmaker granddaughter, wants social justice for her immolated friend. The rest of the family is pulled along reluctantly, steeling themselves for the impending social fallout. Anonymous threats evolve into acts of actual violence as the amateur sleuths get closer to uncovering ugly truths about Savannah's racially charged present and past, some far too close to home. The family must decide whether to band together against their desperate adversaries or agree to dangerous compromises that could tear them apart. In his first novel in more than a decade, Edgar Award winner Green delivers a gripping and expertly researched Southern literary thriller that is anything but cozy. Most powerful is the novel's exploration of contemporary social issues like homelessness, privilege, and familial legacies built from slavery. Through masterful storytelling, Green turns the quaint and eclectic tourist town of Savannah into a character as conflicted and complex as the rest of the novel's ensemble. Green's novels may not come around often, but when they do, they hit hard and stay with you long after the end.

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