First published 2026
In December 2000, reform candidate Derwin Brown won the DeKalb County sheriff's race by defeating a corrupt incumbent. Days before taking office, gunmen ambushed and killed Brown in his driveway. District Attorney J.Tom Morgan inherited the case. Working with local, state, and federal investigators, Morgan faced months of dead ends while media attention intensified. The murder investigation revealed government corruption and murder-for-hire schemes. Morgan deployed an untested legal strategy in Georgia courts. Then the case turned personal when Morgan discovered his name appeared on the killer's hit list. Morgan provides a firsthand account of pursuing justice while his own life hung in the balance. This book combines true crime investigation with a memoir of public service under threat. Morgan shows readers the real cost of challenging powerful corruption.
Genres: american, crime, biography-memoir, 21st-century, justice, true-crime
Vibes: gripping, gritty, intense, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: corruption-exposed, personal-stakes, unreliable-system
Setting: Georgia, DeKalb County
Period: December 2000, 21st century
264 pages · Paperback · Prometheus Books
Content warnings: murder, violence