After Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Savannah's mystery man, Jim Williams comes to life on these pages. I welcomed the chance to delve into his life and learn about Jim as the brilliant business man that he was. The story explores Jim's friends and his life style. It also seems like a firm base to keep retrying Jim for murder time after time. Why was Jim so fascinated with Danny Hansford? That question was never truly answered. One secret Jim took with him to his grave. Interesting, well written story.

Interesting true story of the Williams murder trial in Savannah, having read the Berendt version of the story this book throws a lot more detail into the background of all the characters together with illustrations of various people involved. It certainly appears to stick to the actual facts of the case.
Enjoyable read.

It was very interesting. It certainly gives you an different view of Jim Williams. So, I suppose depending on whose version of the truth you decide to accept, your opinion about Jim Williams and what really happened the night of the murder. Food for thought, for sure.

As an ardent devotee of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," I was very excited to pick up this documentary version to find out what I had missed of the story in the original novel. The answer is "not much." While it was very impressive to find out exactly how true-to-life the fictional version of the story actually was, it was a major disappointment to purchase and read the same story twice.

Very well written. Our principal did a lot of good saving these old beautiful palatial homes for Atlanta. but underlying his endeavor for good, there was evil within his moral character..Too many years of trials and tribulations for him to meet his end as he did.
.

What happened after the close of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ? What happened to Jim Williams ? What happened to his money, and all of his treasures ? Did Savannah society forgive him? Would the sister he left only ten dollars in his will ever get her hands on his estate. All of the answers are here. Most significant is the details of Jim Williams four trials for murder. This book is well written, well paced, and well researched. The book provides not only answers to our questions, it provides an enjoyable read, and another look at the fascinating city of Savannah.

A story of tragedy for pitiful sick people who seemed to be glorified by the upper crust of Savannah society who by looking the other way dragged themselves down to the dregs of a hopeless community. Really a dark story better to have been unread..

Wow what a great read. She really did a fantastic job. The whole book is interesting but it heats up in chapter 10. Giving us insight on how things really where between Jim and Danny Hanford. All I can say is poor Jim he really picked the wrong dude. Excellent book!

I began reading the book before I visited Savannah. It read more like a novel of historical fiction genre. The people were interesting beyond imagination. In touring Savannah I recognized the places which made the book come alive even though it took place 30 years ago. I recommend the book for those who like history and are fascinated by local culture and people.

Poorly written and full of typos and grammatial errors. There was one full paragraph that was very confusing to me and upon reading further I realized that it was supposed to be in the next chapter. Very disapointing to me. I see this as a shoddy, quickly slapped together effort to cash in on the popularity of John Berendt's excellent book.

Awesome book, a sequel/prequel. Lots of info about Jim before he met Billy, and vice-versa. Good enough to have a hard copy of. Also, no errors in this Kindle version. Well done! I am surprised that the original author did not think of this.

I knocked off 2 stars for the deceptive book cover and title. Also, Bardsley' s prose was pedestrian, especially when compared with Berendt's.

But Bardsley added a lot of detail, including much of the defense's final summary. I also appreciated the pictures in her book. The photo of Lady Chablis was a real eye opener. Her actions had led me to think she was tawdry in appearance. Not so.

Savannah's Marilyn Bardsley continues on her admirable quest with her updated and expanded book After Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil to provide clear factual and most of all true information on the seedy story of Jim Williams, which was loosely put together by John Berendt for reasons which are clearly evident in Marilyn Bardsley's well researched book.
Beautiful historic Savannah deserves to be championed in truth by one of its residents. Despite the fact that some here may still use the sensational Hollywood production and non-resident Berendt's novel, with all of its fictional details on scarce facts to lure tourists into shops, After Midnight provides a refreshing insight into a seedy crime, which pales in context with Savannah's vast historical significance. Contemplating a visit to Savannah? Skip the meaningless read about a highly sensationalized crime containing numerous fictionalized details, many of tasteless content, as well as fictional characters, which are portrayed as genuine; instead read Marilyn Bardsley's well written factual book, in addition to relevant information and some well-known local authors, who bring to life Savannah's true Southern Coastal and timeless charm.

While this is an interesting story it was not well written. There were many many typos and grammatical errors which made it difficult to read. Finally the last half of the book was a transcript of defense's closing argument at the last trial. Where was the authorship in that?

Interesting story, but much of the information about the trials in this book is identically covered in Midnight. The unsubstantiated speculation/hearsay about Jim's supposed predatory behavior and shady business dealings reads more like desperate tabloid trash than unbiased journalism. The entire book from title to cover art to contents creates an uncomfortable feeling of yet another person trying to cash in on this sad story, and even worse, on the heels of someone else's work. Would not recommend.

A very good crimescape!! Especially the newest version. I liked the first version, but this is more complete.....

I have read the reviews...both good and bad...and the one thing that needs to be mentioned is that these two books are not directly comparable: one is a Fiction Novel and the other a Crimescape.

The negative reviews focus on this crimescape as if it should be written with the same creativity and style as a full blown novel....and they are therefore disappointed.

The positive reviewers seem to understand that this is a presentation of facts and comments from the official documents and from conversations with people involved in the events of the time, therefore they are pleased with the product.

Personally, I loved reading about facts, the documents and the trials etc. I did not expect a "follow-up" to the novel "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". Instead I got exactly what I expected in a Crimescape....a clear read, an very good analysis of the facts and details of the time, as well as an excellent professional opinion at the end of the book.

This author has well researched & scripted her work, creating a very informatively satisfying read. It is one I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a well told story.

Well, I guess what is happening is a sign of the times. I really enjoyed Ms. Bardsley's meticulous case study. I also enjoyed Mr. Berendt's chilling novel. Each book is well written, yet different in focus. I, personally, find this entire case appallingly laughable and sad. Society is decadent enough without the ineptness and buffoonery that exists within a sociophobic system.

A classic example is the obvious organized attack on Ms. Bardsley's book. After reviewing the reviews, I was shocked by most of the one and two star comments. I wish such comments could be stopped. It is apparent Bardsley is quite talented as a researcher and writer. Such attacks upon her and any other writer have no place in the literary world. It is my hope, as one who appreciates talented artists, that publishers will screen and ostracize any future attacks. It is wise to beware of the Robespierre's and Madame DeFarge's that exist in our society.

I went to show some of these nasty 1-star attack comments to a friend and realized that one of them, posted under the pseudonym "Booknut" was removed, so I went to the review by "JB," who apparently enjoyed the book and took issue with some of the nasty reviews and was answered in a comment by Booknut. The comment is still there, but Booknut (aka John Berendt) has inadvertently exposed himself as one of the attack dogs. I will post below the comment that John Berendt posted initially as a stand-alone review with a 1-star rating and subsequently as a comment on JB's review. I'm sure he will delete it as soon as he discovers he let the towel slip.

Initial post: May 21, 2013 10:52:52 PM PDT
Last edited by the author on Jun 2, 2013 12:55:57 AM PDT
John Berendt says:
Reviewer "JB" reports that the factual errors cited by "Savannah Insider" cannot be found in a Kindle search of Marilyn Bardsley's "After Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." That's because Ms. Bardsley has pulled a very clever switcheroo. Those errors DID appear in what must now be called the "first" Kindle edition, copyrighted 2011. Ms. Bardsley has simply removed the errors pointed out by "Savannah Insider" in 2012, and after making some revisions, re-issued her book with a new copyright date: 2013.

"But here's the really outrageous part: the store is treating this 2013 version as a totally new book, which it certainly is not. It's still the same tedious rehash of John Berendt's original "Midnight." The most disturbing difference, however, is that all sixty reviews of the old edition have been wiped away, both the good and the (very) bad. So the present edition has been permitted to enjoy an immaculate rebirth, with no reviews at all. Almost immediately, however, as if by magic, the rave reviews started pouring in. One has to wonder whether they were sent in my Ms. Bardsley's friends, because to date, NINE of the FOURTEEN 5-star reviews have been written by the very same people who wrote 5-star reviews for her "first edition."

For the life of me, I can't fault an author who corrected errors in subsequent editions. At least her book is strictly nonfiction, which is a far cry from Berendt's book that had to be reclassified as a "nonfiction novel," whatever that is.

Now that one of the book world's biggest celebrity, John Berendt--a guy who made millions off his book and the movie--has exposed himself as "Booknut," showing that he stooped so low as to attack a woman who dared to write a different kind of book on the subject he thought he owned, one must start to look carefully at the spate of negative reviewers that appeared suddenly. Most of them have no verified the store purchase. Others suggest that they hated the earlier first edition, but bought the later edition just to write another hateful review. Come on, now. The paperback of this book isn't exactly free.

I did a little research on some of the other 1-star reviewers that posted under their real names. Reviewer Gwenn Barringer should explain that John Berendt wrote a very nice editorial comment for a book called My Pet Virus by her husband Shawn Decker. This, too is certain to disappear quickly, as I'm sure John Berendt's comment will disappear like his stand-alone review as Booknut.

"Shawn Decker takes on a deadly topic with astonishing grace. Enlightening, compassionate, hilarious."

John Berendt
[...]

Nick C. Rhoades, another of Berendt's and Barringer's friends who contribute to AIDS activist blogs, was not happy just trashing Bardsley's book, he also, like John Berendt in his Booknut persona, went after Tom Greene, who wrote a favorable review with this insulting comment:

Nick C. Rhoades says:

"I seriously have doubts about the objectivity (and lack of a relation to the author) of this review and other "5-star" reviews here. I would get my bottom dollar this was not written by Joe Blow Reader of Anywhere USA who just loved the book and thought it to be "carefully researched" and "engagingly written" among other remarks. What a joke."

People do detest all bullies, especially those who choose to assault and belittle anyone approaching their literary altar. I see this as a ridiculous "king of the mountain" superiority complex.

I like crime books where authors walk the streets and talk to the principals involved. Bardsley brings this story to life in a NONFICTION version, which relies on facts rather than fiction to create a narrative frame. She's clearly put a lot of time and effort into it. I've been all over this area of Savannah and I was completely drawn into this account. It made me wish I'd been there while she was interviewing some of these people. You can feel the Old South in their words and attitudes (and even what they don't say), but more important, several significant characters are fleshed out well beyond what Berendt managed via those who knew them well. Unlike Berendt, Bardsley was not bound by any financial arrangements with Williams' estate, so she tells the story honestly and fully, because she was curious about the truth, relentless in going after it, and comprehensive when covering it.

"After Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil" explores Savannah's most famous murderer, Jim Williams. Williams was intelligent, talented and had dreams and high hopes for being successful in the historical restoration business. He was great with people and was easily liked and trusted by most. However, the path he chose to make his dreams come true proved to be dishonest, illegal, and without moral. Williams didn't come from a wealthy family and didn't have the upper stature in society that was needed in order to succeed financially and be part of the influential members of society. In a sick, twisted way, he used the people of Savanna. Jim williams was a gay man and homosexuality wasn't something he was loud about. He was well aware of the fact that he needed to reach the high ranking members of society. So, Jim began to pimp out young boys, secretly, to the affluent men that had the money and the power to fund his projects.

Young boys came in and out of Jim's life, but one in partictular came in to his life, Danny Hansford, and was ultimately unable to walk out. Jim Williams shot and killed his lover, Hansford, who had a reputation for being a violent, unstable drug-user. Williams claimed to have shot him in self-defense. The case ended up having 4 trials!

Marilyn Bardsley goes on to describe the crime scene facts relevent in court at each of the four trials. Bardsley lays down the facts in an unbias manner, and in such a way, that as the reader, I was able to form my own opinion on the case. One of the biggest things for me was trying to not hate this man, Jim Williams, who exploited young boys, cheated, lied and stole and basically hurt anyone if there was a benefit for him. But somehow while I was reading, I was able to read the facts and my angry thoughts toward Williams didn't overcome me. I was able to enjoy this book due to the fair and even toned manner in Bardsley's writing. Through her descriptive writing and story telling, she painted a picture of one man who had many faces. The book was excellent and kept me intrigued from the start until the very last page. It is a fantastic read that I would recommend to anyone, and a must read for those who have read John Berendt's, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"! I took a tremendous liking to Marilyn Bardsley's approach and perspective, along with her book overall. After Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Crimescape)

Took me several looks to even realize this wasn't written by John Berendt, the (credible) author of Midnight.... I find it very unattractive (devious) that Bardsley so blatantly uses a book cover that is virtually identical to Berendt's book to get sales and confuse readers. Research showed me that she is a windbag desperate to capitalize on Berendt's work. How dare she? Thumbs way down.

This book is a biographical companion piece to John Berendt's semi-fictional entertainment book. It does a beautiful job of focusing on four essential characters: the real Jim Williams, the real Danny Hansford, the real legendary defense attorney Sonny Seiler, and the real prosecutor, Spencer Lawton. Berendt had a contract with Williams to write his story that gave part of his royalties to Williams: not so ethical in doing a biography. This is NOT a book about colorful Savannah characters, but real live people caught in a life and death drama that lasted a decade. For those who want to know the truth about Jim Williams and Danny Hansford and the four premeditated murder trials that Spencer Lawton conducted, there is no better source. If you were a follower of famous murder stories and murder trials, this should be right up your alley.

I expected "After Midnight" to shed new light on the murder at the center of the book and movie of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." It doesn't. It does tell us that Jim Williams cruised the bus station for boys, passed some of his tricks on to his friends, and did some dishonest deals in his antiques business. None of that changes the basic facts in the murder case. As for Bardsley's promise to "bring new life to the vivid cast of characters" in Midnight? Those characters were much more vividly alive in John Berendt's book and Clint Eastwood's movie than they are in this boring, flat-footed, over-hyped knock off.

I read some of the other reviews here and decided to look into the claims made about Bardsley and her work. I think people are being kind here. This author is a HACK who can't even get things right the second time around. I can't believe she is claiming to telling an interesting story. She needs to stop writing books. Maybe someone at her local newspaper will let her write something she is more skilled at -- like ads in the Penny Saver or obituaries. What a pathetic joke. Don't buy this piece of garbage.

I must begin by admitting I am biased. MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AN EVIL is one of my all time favorites.
However I did TRY to read the "after" book. It is dribble! I am appalled that an author, in this day and age, can COPY the title AND the cover.
Isn't this a copyright violation?

When I saw the comment by Savannah Insider, I did a search in my Kindle version of the book and could not find anything about Jim Williams "dining in luxurious style at Who's Who." I wondered if Savannah Insider and I were reading the same book. Then when I searched for a passage about Danny Hansford and Lady Chablis being friends, again, I could not find any mention of this. It's fair if a reader says he didn't like the book or that it's boring, but to suggest factual errors that aren't in the book at all doesn't seem fair.

I loved reading the original book, so was looking forward to reading this book as well. I wasn't sure what to expect since the story had already been told, or so I thought!!! Boy was I surprised to find out there was so much more in depth information to be revealed. I loved reading about the people involved and how their lives led them to become associated with each other. Also reading about the court cases and how they were handled was an eye opener. Most amazing was reading some of the actual court documents from the cases! I would highly recommend reading this book! I couldn't put it down!