A Shot in the Moonlight

How a Freed Slave and a Confederate Soldier Fought for Justice in the Jim Crow South

By: Ben Montgomery

Narrated by: Zeno Robinson, Ben Montgomery

The sensational true story of George Dinning, a freed slave, who in 1899 joined forces with a Confederate war hero in search of justice in the Jim Crow south. “Taut and tense. Inspiring and terrifying in its timelessness.”(Colson Whitehead, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Underground Railroad )

After moonrise on the cold night of January 21, 1897, a mob of twenty-five white men gathered in a patch of woods near Big Road in southwestern Simpson County, Kentucky. Half carried rifles and shotguns, and a few tucked pistols in their pants. Their target was George Dinning, a freed slave who'd farmed peacefully in the area for 14 years, and who had been wrongfully accused of stealing livestock from a neighboring farm. When the mob began firing through the doors and windows of Dinning's home, he fired back in self-defense, shooting and killing the son of a wealthy Kentucky family.

So began one of the strangest legal episodes in American history — one that ended with Dinning becoming the first Black man in America to win damages after a wrongful murder conviction.

Drawing on a wealth of never-before-published material, bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Ben Montgomery resurrects this dramatic but largely forgotten story, and the unusual convergence of characters — among them a Confederate war hero-turned-lawyer named Bennett H. Young, Kentucky governor William O'Connell Bradley, and George Dinning himself — that allowed this unlikely story of justice to unfold in a time and place where justice was all too rare.

Critic reviews

“As he did in his spectacular reporting on the Dozier School in Florida, Ben Montgomery excavates another hidden strand of American history. Taut and tense, A Shot in the Moonlight is inspiring and terrifying in its timelessness.”—Colson Whitehead, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys

“Ben Montgomery’s masterful retelling of George Dinning’s story reminds us that history is created by ordinary people who confront wrongdoing. This is a powerful portrayal of prejudice at its most depraved, humanity at its most determined, and a judicial system that can, at its best, address injustice. It reminds us of what to hope for in our current troubled times.”—Lois Lowry, author of The Giver

"A Shot in the Moonlight is a searing narrative, thoroughly engrossing and timelier than ever. With remarkable journalism and meticulous research, Ben Montgomery has passionately crafted a masterwork of nonfiction."—Gilbert King, Pulitzer prize-winning author of Devil in the Grove

"Ben Montgomery's A Shot in the Moonlight is a meticulously reported account that resurrects a remarkable story of race and justice that had been largely lost to history. Like so many Black Americans throughout our nation's history, George Dinning demanded justice. Unlike so many others, and after a strenuous battle that Montgomery expertly documents, he was ultimately able to secure it."—Wesley Lowery, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author of They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore and A New Era in America's Racial Justice Movement

"Ben Montgomery has unearthed and vigorously reported the traumatic and important story of a Black man who had the courage to shoot back. His storytelling and attention to time, context, and detail is nothing short of mesmerizing. This is the feat of one of the best nonfiction writers in the world today. A Shot in Moonlight is a challenge, a triumph."—RJ Young, author of Let It Bang: A Young Black Man's Reluctant Odyssey into Guns

“True racial reconciliation requires that America take a hard and honest look at its past, and, to that end, A Shot in the Moonlight is essential reading. Ben Montgomery brings his considerable skills as a writer and reporter to the story of George Dinning, a Black man who somehow survived vigilante violence and found justice in 1897 Kentucky. More broadly, in his elegant narrative, Montgomery lays bare the horrors and indignities of the Jim Crow era that remain foundational to the pain of today.”—Tim Madigan, author of The Burning: The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921

Great Book I learned a lot about the history of Kentucky

What an amazing story about two men that were both noteworthy and you attempted to safe American from itself. This is very well told story and you won’t want to put it down until it is finished.

The store needs to get out here in spite of the books flaws

The story is great, complicated and should be known by more Americans. Montgomery’s research is thorough and he should be commended. Still, at times the book feels padded with unnecessary information, speculation and too many moral musings. The most perplexing section of the book is the Preface, where Montgomery tries to tie George Dinning’s plight to that of George Floyd. The comparison is an insult to George Dinning’s memory, he being a purportedly honest, hardworking man who bothered no one and was still persecuted. Floyd was involved in a series of thefts, drug distribution and violence. None of Floyd’s crimes justified his death at the hands of police but he was not killed by a mob trying to kill him and his family for his property. If there is any similarity it would be between those who did try to kill and rob George Dinning and the mobs who looted private property and murdered 42 people in the riots subsequent to Floyd’s death. Perhaps just as Bennett Young had his blind spots as to his helping blacks while also promoting the Confederacy that fought to enslave them, so does the author. Don’t we all, though.

Excellent true tale that deserves amplification

wonderful! well performed. Excellent true tale that deserves amplification. great relation to modern day of century old events--kept relevant

History Brought to Life

This was a well-paced, detailed, & engaging historical account. The 'characters' in the story are presented as the dynamic, sometimes flawed, people they were in real life which added a depth & context to the story that made it even more enjoyable.

Timely depiction of the fight for justice that continues

Great recollection of facts that sheds light on an often untold story, one that ends with a happier ending than most