Genre Fiction
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The Kingdoms of Savannah: A Novel
"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. Green's novels may not come around often, but when they do, they hit hard and stay with you long after the end."
―KIRKUS, STARRED REVIEW
Savannah may appear to be "some town out of a fable," with its vine flowers, turreted mansions, and ghost tours that romanticize the city's history. But look deeper and you'll uncover secrets, past and present, that tell a more sinister tale. It's the story at the heart of George Dawes Green's chilling new novel, The Kingdoms of Savannah.
It begins quietly on a balmy Southern night as some locals gather at Bo Peep's, one of the town's favorite watering holes. Within an hour, however, a man will be murdered and his companion will be "disappeared." An unlikely detective, Morgana Musgrove, doyenne of Savannah society, is called upon to unravel the mystery of these crimes. Morgana is an imperious, demanding, and conniving woman, whose four grown children are weary of her schemes. But one by one she inveigles them into helping with her investigation, and soon the family uncovers some terrifying truths―truths that will rock Savannah's power structure to its core.
Moving from the homeless encampments that ring the city to the stately homes of Savannah's elite, Green's novel brilliantly depicts the underbelly of a city with a dark history and the strangely mesmerizing dysfunction of a complex family.
―KIRKUS, STARRED REVIEW
Savannah may appear to be "some town out of a fable," with its vine flowers, turreted mansions, and ghost tours that romanticize the city's history. But look deeper and you'll uncover secrets, past and present, that tell a more sinister tale. It's the story at the heart of George Dawes Green's chilling new novel, The Kingdoms of Savannah.
It begins quietly on a balmy Southern night as some locals gather at Bo Peep's, one of the town's favorite watering holes. Within an hour, however, a man will be murdered and his companion will be "disappeared." An unlikely detective, Morgana Musgrove, doyenne of Savannah society, is called upon to unravel the mystery of these crimes. Morgana is an imperious, demanding, and conniving woman, whose four grown children are weary of her schemes. But one by one she inveigles them into helping with her investigation, and soon the family uncovers some terrifying truths―truths that will rock Savannah's power structure to its core.
Moving from the homeless encampments that ring the city to the stately homes of Savannah's elite, Green's novel brilliantly depicts the underbelly of a city with a dark history and the strangely mesmerizing dysfunction of a complex family.
Editorial Reviews
"The Kingdoms of Savannah is a novel about a place and the people in that place that reads like a thriller but could only have been written by someone who knows Savannah and its stories intimately and wants them to be told. It's the apotheosis of Southern Gothic Noir."
―Neil Gaiman, Author of American Gods
"A rich, sprawling, dazzling mystery that's also a journey into history―of a nation, of a city, and of one unforgettably dysfunctional family. I savored every page."
―Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of The House Across the Lake
"Compelling characters and vivid settings make this impressive Southern narrative stand out among the best. THE KINGDOMS OF SAVANNAH is not to be missed."
―Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author
"In a sense all good novels are mysteries, but I've never read a mystery novel any finer than this one. It impeccably fulfills every requirement of the genre―idiosyncratic heroes and villains, exotic milieus, ugly secrets, surprising twists, gratifying turns. But George Dawes Green serves up so many other literary pleasures: deep appreciation of human complexity, unparalleled insight into a famously bewitching city and its arrangements of race and class, an acute sense of the differences between real and fake history, sentiment without sentimentality, comedy and tragedy perfectly intertwined, all depicted in gorgeous prose. The Kingdoms of Savannah is utterly satisfying."
―Kurt Andersen, New York Times bestselling author of Evil Geniuses
"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."
―Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review
"In his first novel in more than a decade,...
―Neil Gaiman, Author of American Gods
"A rich, sprawling, dazzling mystery that's also a journey into history―of a nation, of a city, and of one unforgettably dysfunctional family. I savored every page."
―Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of The House Across the Lake
"Compelling characters and vivid settings make this impressive Southern narrative stand out among the best. THE KINGDOMS OF SAVANNAH is not to be missed."
―Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author
"In a sense all good novels are mysteries, but I've never read a mystery novel any finer than this one. It impeccably fulfills every requirement of the genre―idiosyncratic heroes and villains, exotic milieus, ugly secrets, surprising twists, gratifying turns. But George Dawes Green serves up so many other literary pleasures: deep appreciation of human complexity, unparalleled insight into a famously bewitching city and its arrangements of race and class, an acute sense of the differences between real and fake history, sentiment without sentimentality, comedy and tragedy perfectly intertwined, all depicted in gorgeous prose. The Kingdoms of Savannah is utterly satisfying."
―Kurt Andersen, New York Times bestselling author of Evil Geniuses
"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."
―Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review
"In his first novel in more than a decade,...
Readers Top Reviews
MicheleReader
Morgana Musgrove is one of Savannah’s most respected, prominent and charitable women but behind the doors of her stately red-brick Romanesque home, she heads a fractured family. Her four grown children that have little time nor patience for their difficult mother. Her two daughters have little respect for her views and traditions and her two sons have no love for one another. After a local man is murdered, Morgana is hired to do investigative work for a local, wealthy developer who has been arrested as the prime suspect. A woman has also gone missing. The case unleashes dark secrets that the elite of Savannah would prefer to remain hidden. In this highly atmospheric and suspenseful book, a fascinating side of Savannah is revealed. In contrast to the city’s privileged, there is a parallel society of poor, homeless and disenfranchised people trying to survive. Two members of Morgana’s family are part of this world and find themselves involved in the investigation and could also be in danger. Sins of the past come to light and threaten those who run the city. Author George Dawes Green has woven in parts of Savannah’s true and complicated history which makes the story even more impactful in this gripping literary thriller.
