Do you like to read and talk about mysteries? Then join us for monthly book discussions, fresh perspectives, new authors and a friendly atmosphere! We are meeting virtually via Zoom for the present.   Please note the time change--the Mystery Book Group will start at 1:00pm instead of 2:00pm. 

This month we will discuss Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt.

Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty,early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. John Berendt's sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative reads like a thoroughly engrossing novel, and yet it is a work of nonfiction. Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case.

It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman's Card Club; the turbulent young redneck gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the "soul of pampered self-absorption"; the uproariously funny black drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young blacks dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight. These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else.

Please be sure that you know how to access Overdrive or Libby from the Cheshire Library website before the book is released. The book can be downloaded to a smartphone, Kindle, iPad or computer. For assistance, contact the library at ref@cheshirelibrary.org or 203-272-2245.

Our host for Murder by the Book is Barbara Ritchie, who can be reached at baritchie30@gmail.com.

Please register online.

At 12 noon on Thursday, April 21 we will email you a link to join the Zoom meeting.

Simply use your computer, phone, or tablet to join in the program by following the Zoom link. Zoom will automatically download to your device.

Funded by the Friends of the Cheshire Public Library.

Want to know what we will be reading next? Here’s the list!  You will be able to register online 2 months prior to each of the discussions. 

May 19  The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths

June 16   Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers

July 21   Snow by John Banville