The Kingdoms of Savannah

A Novel

By: George Dawes Green

Narrated by: Ariel Blake, Jeanette Illidge, Karen Commins, Kathleen McInerney, Lee Osorio

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

2022 Hudson Booksellers Best of the Year, Long-listed

"The narrators form a kind of tag team as they voice the florid descriptions of the city, its people, and a murder investigation led by the unlikeliest of characters, high society's Morgana Musgrove, portrayed by Karen Commins."—AudioFile on The Kingdoms of Savannah

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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books

©2022 George Dawes Green (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

A Glitch But Otherwise Fabulous!

something weird happens at the end of ch11 so I may have missed a few minutes. just be prepared.

otherwise, the story is great! I loved the performance as well. The end information by the author is a great resource!

intriguing

I found the story very intriguing. it kept my attention. And set in Savannah!, a beautiful city.

Avoid this book: Story is not bad, narration is awful

The best feature of this book is the historical commentary. The story has its merits, but the telling is somewhat slow and redundant, and the ever present vulgarity tiresome. Nevertheless, I suspect reading the book would be vastly superior to listening. The use of multiple narrators presents an unnecessary distraction, as does the uneven quality of the reading. The unfortunate mispronunciations and ridiculous distortions of Southern speech are laughable, This is without a doubt the worst audio book production I’ve heard.

A many layered web of historical intrigue

I liked the various voice actors’ takes on the telling of the story. The author weaves true crimes from the 1700’s until modern day into a fictional murder mystery. It starts quickly into the action in the first chapter and builds perpetually…

great Southern mystery

great book but multiple narrators were annoying and unnecessary
love books about Savannah!
characters well crafted and flushed out

Greatly entertaining story

I totally enjoyed listening to this book. The story untwined some actual events with the fictional family story.

Excellent crime and historical fiction

Outstanding character development, plot, narrative, and history lesson on Savannah. Thoughtful, funny, and sometimes gruesome. Loved it!

captivating from the beginning until the end!!

I couldn't stop listening!! I adore Savannah and love to visit there. I could visualize every bit of this spellbinding story!! I hope there is a sequel.... wow!!

Very enjoyable listen!

Having different narrators helped in following the plot and connecting the characters. It flowed easily . The author did a good job incorporating the history and current issues . Particularly like the Epilogue.

Negative

I thought the story line was good. It kept you wondering what was going to happen. I didn't like all the negativity about Savannah. I've lived here for years and I have not found it to be anything like what was depicted. The author is someone who definitely has had a bad experience and it could happen in any town or city. There are corrupt people and bad people everywhere..