Genre Fiction
![George-Dawes Green - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B00QNO1Q1E.jpg)
The Kingdoms of Savannah: A Novel
"Around these parts, the publication of a new George Dawes Green novel is an event. … Green leans all the way into Southern Gothic, but the main grotesquerie is the city's history, built on the backs of enslaved people. His prose is languid, even luxurious, but at critical moments of suspense, he pares it back to ramp up the terror."
―New York Times Book 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.
―New York Times Book 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
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―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
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Readers Top Reviews
Kindle 444Sandr
The recipient, a fan of Savannah enjoyed the book. Smoothly-written and full of entertaining twists and eccentric -- though IMO, cartoon-like -- characters. Most historic info in the novel is accurate. He (recipient) is also a map fan and I concurrently gave him a book with maps and pictures of historic Savannah sites. He loved this combo. I am not a fan of charming homeless, addicted or alcoholic characters and that limited my own appreciation of the novel. It could be read in conjunction with "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" to get another somewhat similar but more nuanced and real flavor of Savannah.
Kim SchultzKindle
I first became a fan while working at a bookstore in Dallas, Texas, and handselling copies of The Caveman's Valentine. Customers were seeking something delicious to get rid of the bad taste left by Bridges of Madison County. I'll never understand why that title stayed on the bestseller list but I was eager to fill the need for something really outstanding. Then Green surprised me with The Juror. By this time I was living in Pennsylvania and reading The Juror kept me up all night. I knew right away someone would turn it into a movie, but I also new the film would never come close to the creepy pleasure of reading the novel. The Kingdoms of Savannah arrived after I've been living in North Carolina for several years and George Dawes Green has done it again! Not since Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil has an author so completely captured the "charm" of Savannah and her southern "traditions". If I was still working in a bookstore I would put this book into the hands of anyone who enjoys a good mystery, or learning the surprising history still hidden away in the south. Green captured my attention with the prologue and before I knew it the sun was rising.
AlexisKim Schultz
I’m traveling to and from Savannah for work, and was looking for something beyond Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil to read and found this book. Chapters are written in different character points of view and were hard to follow at first. Jaq was by far my favorite and most relatable, but I think that’s part of what makes this book good; there’s a character for every age/walk of life to relate to. The mystery was good and the ending unexpected. While it’s not an “earth shattering, mood altering, mind boggling” stunner novel for me, I still enjoyed it and I’m glad I read it!
Karen S. JacksonJ
Not my favorite book, even though I’m nuts about Savannah. Perhaps I expected to be swept away, but was not.
Leigh RobersonKar
I so loved reading this novel. With a daughter currently living in Savannah and many visits under my belt, I truly enjoyed the landscape that accompanied the story. The characters seemed real and the places they visited were places I had been. I related and could visualize the details. The combination of a fictional story based in real places made it hard to put the book down. Savannah’s history is so rich and it’s locals such a delight that this book is a must read for anyone who has been captured by this city’s charm.
