Midnight in Memphis: A Novel

by Thomas Dann

Overview

In this Southern noir, two detectives forge an unlikely alliance as they strive to bridge the racial divide and catch a killer hell bent on revenge. 

Set against a historical backdrop of mid-century racial inequality and political turmoil, this thriller is perfect for fans of William Kent Krueger and Greg Iles.

1955, Memphis. Homicide detective Burdett Vance is trying to outrun his past, but working in the homicide division always ends up bringing in new waves of horror. Now an unknown killer is reaping retribution for decades of lynching by targeting the daughters of rich white families in Memphis. When Vance is assigned to the case, he’s also put in charge of a new trainee, Officer Eustace Johnson. 

Eustace Johnson has been recently "promoted" and as one of the few Black men on the force this is the latest publicity stunt of the police department. Forced to work together, Vance and Johnson must catch the rampaging killer in a city roiling with racial injustice and a fight to control the crumbling local politics.    

Then Emmeline Bryce, Vance’s old flame, becomes the killer’s next target. With Emme’s life on the line, Vance and Johnson must confront their deepest fears and darkest desires before the city ignites into chaos and the blissful vision of a better future disappears forever. 

Readers of James Lee Burke will delight in this bitingly smart thriller full of intrigue and age-old animosities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798892423861
Publisher:	CROOKED LANE BOOKS
Publication date:	11/18/2025
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Thomas Dann was born and bred in Memphis, Tennessee, five generations deep in a family fighting the entrenched political machine there. He has spent time variously between the East and Left Coasts, studying creative writing at Stanford, working for years as a felony defense investigator for the Washington, DC, Public Defender, then lawyer, company builder, and writer, all the while wondering what he wants to do when he grows up. He now lives in Maryland with his wife, Melissa, and their goofy golden retriever, Benji. And he loves the blues.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Midnight in Memphis:
“A captivating historical thriller.”
—Publisher Weekly

“Midnight in Memphis is the real deal and Thomas Dann is a real find. This is a twisty, well-wrought whodunit set in the Memphis of 60 years ago, driven by savory characters and the enticing, sometimes lurid, mysteries that always seemed to lurk beneath the surface of the old south.”
—Scott Turow, New York Times bestselling author of Presumed Innocent

“Thomas Dann's Midnight in Memphis is a terrific debut novel that will richly reward your attention and introduce you to a new and promising talent.”
—Thomas Perry, bestselling author of Hero and The Old Man

“Thomas Dann has conjured a unique place at a tense moment as a city is haunted by its recent past and distant history. Fans of Raymond Chandler and Raymond Khoury alike will drink Midnight in Memphis from the rim to the dregs.”
—Preston Lauterbach, author of The Chitlin' Circuit and Beale Street Dynasty

“Midnight in Memphis is first-rate Southern Noir. Memphis PD Detective Burdett Vance and his partner, Officer Eustace Johnson, are a perfectly matched team. If Thomas Dann doesn’t make this into a series, I’m gonna come looking for him!”
—Chris Kelsey, author of Blond Hair, Blue Eyes: an Emmett Hardy Crime Novel

“Thomas Dann's debut reveals a writer with serious chops. Midnight in Memphis offers gripping, hard-boiled mid-century noir that reaches as far as the big river that forms its backbone. Dann knows his history, from Indigenous cultures to civil rights struggles, and delivers a compelling tale of justice and reckoning.”
—Boyce Upholt, author of The Great River

From the Publisher