“Midnight in Memphis”: Noteworthy Southern Noir https://ift.tt/DZ4el2q
Dann’s Midnight in Memphis is a striking debut from a writer who knows exactly what he’s about. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, to a family who has been battling the established political machine for generations, Dann is no novice when it comes to writing about crime and politics. His sense of justice is reflected in his main character, Burdett Vance, a blues-loving homicide detective with a tragic past. Throughout the novel, Burdett finds himself not only in the throes of a violent murder case but also in the middle of a larger political conspiracy. With a killer on the loose and enemies on all sides, Burdett must pave his way through a corrupt world to ensure that justice remains intact.
Set against the racial and political turmoil of 1955 Memphis, the novel follows Burdett and his new partner, Eustace Johnson, the first official Black officer on the city’s police force. Together, they take on the Mound Builder, a notorious killer who has been seeking revenge for the city’s dark history of racial violence. As the Mound Builder rapidly ticks off his (or her) victims, Burdett and Eustace find themselves in a race to catch the culprit before panic overwhelms the city.
While the reader may spend much time puzzling over the killer’s identity, Midnight in Memphis is much more than a typical whodunit. Dann’s debut is as much a political thriller as it is a Southern noir, touching on themes of greed, corruption, and inequality that resonate profoundly with our world today:
“It was not only about the well-publicized power struggles of a political machine in flux, but something darker, a hushed urgency. Like persistently percolating moonshine, odd things kept bubbling to the surface, and the whole department had developed that very distinct aroma, the ill-gotten, pungent smell of greed.”
The theme of greed starts with the city’s mayor, Boss Crump, who spent years sustaining his power over Memphis through racial division and backroom deals. Though Crump himself dies just before the novel begins, his death sets off a frantic grasp for power within the police department. Crump’s likeliest successor takes the form of the chiclet-chewing Chief Donlough, who goes to desperate measures to enhance his own power. Dann uses Donlough to show how corruption, once perpetuated, trickles down to lower levels. As Donlough chases fortune and influence through dubious means, Burdett’s investigation becomes a fight to uphold justice against a system that thrives on dishonesty.
Perhaps the most relevant theme in Dann’s work is the leveraging of fear to sway votes and keep the citizens compliant. Dann points out: “What we are really talking about here, what lies at the core of our dismay, is fear. Fear is the surest fuel for hatred, and fear of the unknown is inexhaustible.”
Fear, as Dann presents it, is engineered. Lingering beneath campaign speeches, it is the unspoken threat behind policy decisions, the reason why neighbors stop trusting one another. In Midnight in Memphis, fear is cultivated by those who understand that a fractured populace is easier to control than a united one. The Mound Builder’s killings may be the catalyst for panic, but the deeper terror lies in the realization that the city’s institutions have long relied on fear to maintain order. Burdett and Eustace’s partnership offers a counterpoint to this dynamic, suggesting that solidarity across lines of race, class, and experience is not only possible but necessary for justice to be done.
One of the novel’s most promising elements is the dynamic between Burdett and Eustace. Their relationship begins with tension: Burdett suspects Eustace’s appointment is political theater, while Eustace mistrusts Burdett due to the long history of racial injustice by white institutions. Yet as the investigation deepens, so does their bond. From quiet moments in the car on morning patrol to a high-stakes shootout in a drug dealer’s den, the two men begin to rely on each other in ways neither of them would have expected. Dann writes their partnership with an exceptional understanding of human relationships, allowing their trust to build gradually as the investigation draws them closer together. Against the backdrop of a deeply divided city, their alliance becomes a forceful act of courage, one that readers can’t help but root for.
In an era still grappling with political polarization and the weaponization of fear, Midnight in Memphis reminds us that justice is not merely about punishment, but about truth, accountability, and the courage to confront what divides us. The novel urges readers to look past the machinery of control and toward the possibility of unity. Although we may come from different histories and speak in different registers, we are all human at the end of the day. As Burdett learns, the path to justice begins with the willingness to stand together.
Midnight in Memphis By Thomas Dann
Crooked Lane Books
Published November 18, 2025
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