David Dominé

David Dominé teaches foreign languages and translation at Bellarmine University. In addition to an MFA in Writing from Spalding University, he earned an MA in Spanish Literature from the University of Louisville and an MA in German Literature from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He also completed studies in literary translation at the Karl-Franzens Universität in Graz, Austria, and attended law school in Louisville. In 1999, he bought a six-bedroom Victorian home, which the previous owner insisted was haunted. David’s subsequent time in the Old Louisville historic district led him to write books about its quirky residents and beautiful architecture. Not surprising, Kentucky spirits come alive in his narratives, which often showcase the cultural landscape of his adopted state. His true-crime book A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City deals with the 2009 murder of drag queen Jamie Carroll in a spooky mansion in Old Louisville that once doubled as a sanatorium.

A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City

This true crime saga—with an eccentric Southern backdrop—introduces the reader to the story of a murder in a crumbling Louisville mansion and the decades of secrets and corruption that live within the old house’s walls.

On June 18, 2010, police discover a body buried in the wine cellar of a Victorian mansion in Old Louisville. James Carroll, shot and stabbed the year before, has lain for 7 months in a plastic storage bin—his temporary coffin. Homeowner Jeffrey Mundt and his boyfriend, Joseph Banis, point the finger at each other in what locals dub The Pink Triangle Murder.

On the surface, this killing appears to be a crime of passion, a sordid love tryst gone wrong in a creepy old house. But as author David Dominé sits in on the trials, a deeper story emerges: the struggle between hope for a better future on the one hand and the privilege and power of the status quo on the other.

As the court testimony devolves into he-said/he-said contradictions, David draws on the confidences of neighbors, drag queens, and other acquaintances within the city’s vibrant LGBTQ community to piece together the details of the case. While uncovering the many past lives of the mansion itself, he enters a murky underworld of gossip, neighborhood scandal, and intrigue.

“Dominé provides an enthralling deep dive into a bizarre murder case, enhanced by his eyewitness account of the resulting trials. He gives this colorful case the detailed attention it merits. Fans of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil will be captivated.” Publishers Weekly, starred review