Some reviewers were taken in. Except in his coverage of the Williams murder trials, he concedes that he sometimes used stories people told him without confirming details with other principals. Yet he insists the book is 99 percent true. But his methods have fueled the ongoing debate over the blending of fact and fiction. On WriterL, a computer forum, professional writers often criticize Berendt's approach.
Midnight supplies plenty of examples to debate.
The scientist says the outing never happened, even without the fictional Dawes. Some of the people portrayed in the book, like Williams's attorney Sonny Seiler, defend Berendt's literary license. He doubts that Williams really believed in voodoo or ever visited a cemetery with Minerva the voodoo priestess. Someone's got to put a spin on it. She confirms that her brother had a contract with Berendt, but declines to discuss its contents, including the financial details.