The First Look of The Kingdoms of Savannah by George Dawes Green reveals a stark contrast to the romanticized Savannah that readers have come to expect. While there are the familiar manicured lawns, and pristine homes, dripping in grandeur, the Savannah facade is exposed by, an also prevalent, but rarely acknowledged, grittier, neglected, darker, dangerous Savannah underbelly. In one dysfunctional family, both sides exist, and a narcissistic, affluent mother has reached out to her estranged, homeless son to investigate an arson, murder case. The suspect’s history does not fair well for him, but this contemptible character denies his culpability, and money and greed are to his advantage and propel this investigation forward. In the few pages that I read, interesting morsels were already being offered, highlighting that things aren’t always as they first appear. The preview captured my attention and I would like to read more.