"It was up to me, I knew, to get justice for Derwin Brown." --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. The mastermind behind the killing was Brown's defeated opponent--the sitting sheriff himself, Sidney Dorsey. Part true-crime thriller, part memoir of public service under fire, this gripping book reveals what it truly costs to hold powerful people accountable.
J. Tom Morgan served as the elected District Attorney of DeKalb County, GA, from 1992-2004. In recognition of his successful prosecution of Sheriff Dorsey, he was the first recipient from the United States to be awarded the Special Achievement Award from the International Association of Prosecutors in 2003. Prior to his time as D.A., Morgan served as an Assistant District Attorney in DeKalb County for nine years and was the first prosecutor in Georgia--and one of the first in the nation--to specialize in the prosecution of crimes against children. He has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, CNN's Talk Back Live, Court TV, and 48 Hours, and has been featured in People and Parenting magazines. Morgan has lectured to prosecutors and law enforcement officials in more than 30 states, Puerto Rico, and Europe, and served on the faculty of the National College of District Attorneys. John Capouya has written and edited for publications including the New York Times, Newsweek, SmartMoney, and Sport, among others, over his 25-year career in journalism. He taught journalism and nonfiction writing at the University of Tampa, and his developmental editing clients include New York Times bestselling authors. He is the author of Gorgeous George: The Outrageous Bad-Boy Wrestler Who Created American Pop Culture, among other books on yoga and music.
"J.Tom's compelling account is both chilling and satisfying, as you see justice being delivered upon a killer."--Richard Deane, President, Association of American Trial Lawyers and former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia "The public's confidence in justice was in the balance in the summer of 2000, and J.Tom never blinked. His decision to prosecute the murderers of Derwin Brown stands as the most courageous and consequential act I've witnessed in my 40-year career. A fascinating and original telling of his story."--Dale Cardwell, former investigative reporter, WSB-TV "A fresh, fast-moving take. How the crime unfolded and the greedy, power-hungry motives behind it are as shocking today as the headlines were at the time. Mixing memoir with a compelling true crime story, J.Tom joins an illustrious group of attorneys-turned-authors whose page-turning prose keeps the reader as engaged as the jurors who once listened to their courtroom oratory."--Melita Easters, panelist at The Georgia Gang, Executive Director and Founding Chair at Georgia WIN List "Combining J.Tom Morgan's roles as prosecutor and shocked member of society, this is an unbelievable tale--one that was all too true. A riveting inside look at the unfolding investigation of an outrageous and bizarre assassination."--Bill Torpy, Metro columnist, Atlanta Journal Constitution "A Rainy Night In Georgia gives us many things: a thrilling read of a horrific crime; a tale of corruption and the chilling danger of facing it; and a plot as gripping as a good novel that familiarizes the reader with the authentic workings of the justice system. It is the inspiring first-hand account of a district attorney willing to put his own life at risk to assure that justice is done."--Diane McPhail, author of The Abolitionist's Daughter, The Seamstress of New Orleans, and Follow the Stars Home "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."--Norman Eisen, CNN legal analyst, Senior Fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, co-founder States United Democracy Center, author, lawyer "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."--Deborah Norville, New York Times bestselling author and Emmy Award-winning television journalist
