Savannah has been type cast. Most people think of it as a charming southern town full of ghosts of the Civil War. Those who live in Savannah know the “real” city. It has the historic old guard neighborhood, ethnic neighborhoods, and homeless camps like other major cities. There are many sides to Savannah and George Dawes Green wants to show them to us. We begin at a popular Savannah bar named Bo Peeps. Two regulars will leave the bar, one will die and the other will disappear. The police lack motive and clues, rumors are all they have. All signs point to a local property developer with a sleazy reputation.

A high society woman, Morgana Musgrave, who casually owns a detective agency is asked to investigate the murder by the sleazy developer. He believes that she can save the sleazy developer. Morgana’s investigation of this murder will stir Savannah and Morgana’s family up. As the investigation progresses, where will this story go? Who has committed murder and why? Morgana’s investigation proceeds in spite of her deeply dysfunctional family and the corruption in the city government.

George Dawes Green does a good job portraying the seedier sides of Savannah. He describes bars, alleys, and the homeless encampment in detail. Unfortunately, there are parts of this story that lack authenticity. Homeless camps seem to be where friends go camping and hang out. He fails to portray the sadness, depression, and fear that inhabitants live with. For the unscrupulous, homeless camps are targets for theft, abuse, and addiction. Morgana has a son who eschews the high society life to live in a homeless encampment. Why would he do this? Couldn’t he open a homeless shelter to help the community? Or is he playing at suffering? During Morgana’s investigation, there are times that the story seems to lose steam and wanders. While the ending does tie up any loose strings, it is like Green’s portrayal of homeless camps – a bit too good to be true.

My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻/5