A Devil Went Down to Georgia, Deb Miller Landau
A Devil Went Down to Georgia, Deb Miller Landau
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

A Devil Went Down to Georgia
Race, Power, Privilege, and the Murder of Lita McClinton

Author: Deb Miller Landau

Narrator: Callie Beaulieu

Unabridged: 9 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/11/2025


Synopsis

The 1987 murder of Lita McClinton Sullivan sent shock waves through the affluent Atlanta suburb of Buckhead, Georgia like few other crimes before it. The neighborhood, with its stately mansions and top-tier schools, was simply not the kind of place where women were gunned down in broad daylight. How many socialites had enemies so dangerous they would be murdered by a hit man pretending to deliver roses on an early winter morning?

Lita was an intelligent, accomplished, and stunning Black woman from a respected Atlanta family. Her interracial marriage to white millionaire Jim Sullivan was a newsworthy occurrence in 1970s Georgia. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before Jim's roving eye and controlling nature put Lita on edge, leading to a divorce years later. As the legal battle raged and Jim's financial outlook grew precarious, he had a chance encounter with an ex-con who said he could "take care" of Jim's wife problem . . .

Award-winning writer Deb Miller Landau details the shocking events that followed Lita's murder in 1987, including the surprising lack of evidence, racial bias in the justice system, and the international manhunt for Lita's killer. Full of twists and turns, legal battles, and the McClinton family's unrelenting dedication to justice, Landau's investigation is the first complete account of this tragic American crime.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Stacia on September 30, 2024

I remember how big this story was in the news when Lita McClinton was murdered in Buckhead. This was a huge story. And it took many years to find justice for Lita. This book is a biography/true crime mix with info about Lita's & Jim's lives, the murder, the quest to solve the case &, finally, the tri......more

Goodreads review by Bill on August 14, 2024

I had read The Palm Beach Murder one year ago and it was published in 2004 when James Sullivan was awaiting trial for hiring a hitman to murder his wife in order to hold on to his wealth. Landau's book was released in August of 2024 and she used some of the older book as source material. James was a......more

Goodreads review by Elizabeth on March 31, 2025

True crime story of Lita Sullivan who was gunned down in her Buckhead neighborhood in Atlanta and who did it and why. Clocking in at over 10 hours on audio, it seemed overly long but just in a few parts. Thoroughly researched, the author hit all the right notes when describing this terrible tragedy.......more

Goodreads review by Megan on May 19, 2025

I’ve been meaning to read this for months and now that I have, I can say it was totally worth the wait. I’m losing my taste for true crime, but this book was so well written and researched that it sets itself apart from most other true crime stories. Everything about this was heartbreaking and testi......more

Goodreads review by Marge on November 29, 2024

Wow, hard to believe this true life murder took 20 years to prosecute. It seems like everything was right at their fingertips. The question is, did Jim get away with it for so long because he was rich and had power and could afford high dollar attorneys? I think so. This would be a good book club bo......more