“Gripping…Morgan turns the ins and outs of the case into a propulsive page-turner. It’s tough to put down.”
A Rainy Night in Georgia
A Lawman's Brutal Murder, a Rogue Southern Sheriff, and a Prosecutor's Quest for Justice
Description
“A sheriff-elect was murdered. I was next on the hit list.” —J.Tom Morgan
In December 2000, Derwin Brown, the newly elected sheriff of DeKalb County, Georgia, was ambushed and murdered in his own driveway just days before taking office. He had run on reform—promising to clean up corruption and restore integrity to the sheriff’s department—defeating the powerful incumbent in a bitter runoff.
The case fell to J.Tom Morgan, then the county’s elected District Attorney. Working alongside local, state, and federal law enforcement, Morgan pursued the case through months of dead ends, mounting pressure, and intense public scrutiny. It became a national media sensation, combining political intrigue with revelations of government corruption, murder-for-hire plots, and a never-before-tried legal strategy in the Georgia criminal justice system. Then the case became personal: Morgan learned that his own name was next on the killer's hit list.
In A Rainy Night in Georgia, Morgan gives readers something almost no one else can—a first-person account of power, danger, and integrity from inside the justice system. What began as a baffling, unsolved murder evolved into one of the most extraordinary political assassination cases in modern American history after a shocking discovery.
Part true-crime thriller, part memoir of public service under fire, this gripping book reveals what it truly costs to hold powerful people accountable.
Reviews
“Some criminal cases just stick with you, and this case sticks with me more than most. A Rainy Night in Georgia is J.Tom’s recount of both the personal risk and professional challenge of seeing justice served in this shocking and headline-making case. This book is a page-turner, a riveting tale not only about a crime and the investigation to follow but also about the importance of the First Amendment and the critical role reporters play. It is a reminder: The same greed, corruption and lust for power that made headlines in 2000 remain an issue today.”
“J.Tom’s account of corruption and murder is gripping and full of surprises. His fight for accountability brought a tear to my eye. But as shocking as the crimes were—including the threats to J.Tom himself—the book also contains lighter moments that made me laugh. A modern-day To Kill a Mockingbird.”
“J.Tom's compelling account is both chilling and satisfying, as you see justice being delivered upon a killer.”
