Natchez Burning Author: Greg Iles | Language: English | ISBN:
B00FJ3AC10 | Format: PDF
Natchez Burning Description
#1 New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles returns with his most eagerly anticipated novel yet and his first in five years—Natchez Burning—the first installment in an epic trilogy that interweaves crimes, lies, and secrets past and present in a mesmerizing thriller featuring Southern lawyer and former prosecutor Penn Cage.
Growing up in the rural Southern hamlet of Natchez, Mississippi, Penn Cage learned everything he knows about honor and duty from his father, Tom Cage. But now the beloved family doctor and pillar of the community is accused of murdering Violet Turner, the beautiful nurse with whom he worked in the dark days of the early 1960s. A fighter who has always stood for justice, Penn is determined to save his father, even though Tom, stubbornly evoking doctor-patient privilege, refuses to speak up in his own defense.
The quest for answers sends Penn deep into the past—into the heart of a conspiracy of greed and murder involving the Double Eagles, a vicious KKK crew headed by one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the state. With the aid of a local friend and reporter privy to some of Natchez's oldest and deadliest secrets, Penn follows a bloody trail that stretches back forty years, to one undeniable fact: no one—black or white, young or old, brave or not—is ever truly safe.
With everything on the line, including his own life, Penn must decide how far he will go to protect those he loves . . . and see justice done, once and for all.
Rich in Southern atmosphere and electrifying plot turns, Natchez Burning marks the brilliant return of a genuine American master of suspense. Tense and disturbing, it is the most explosive, exciting, sexy, and ambitious story Greg Iles has written yet.
- Print Length: 800 pages
- Publisher: William Morrow (April 29, 2014)
- Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00FJ3AC10
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #647 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #66
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery - #66
in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary - #69
in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery
- #66
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery - #66
in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary - #69
in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery
I've been a big fan of Greg Iles since his first book, Spandau Phoenix, which was published almost 20 years ago. When I learned several months ago that Iles was going to publish his first book in five years (after a long recovery from a horrible auto accident), I have been anxiously awaiting its publication. So, when an advance copy of Natchez Burning was offered via the Amazon Vine program, I quickly snapped it up and began reading it.
Having now finished Natchez Burning, the first installment of a trilogy, I have to say that, while not being a perfect read (but, then again, what book is?), I found it to be a mostly captivating, richly entertaining, highly memorable book. Natchez Burning is, in my opinion, Iles's most ambitious novel to-date, and one that not only delivers the suspense, action and twists and turns fans have come to expect from his books, but one that serves as a historical document centering on the racial politics of the last fifty years.
Without getting too deeply into its plot, Natchez Burning is a massive-sized book (788 pages in the ARC I read) that delivers a compelling narrative and emotional conflicts that goes well beyond what Iles has delivered in his past books. In brief, Natchez Burning has Penn Cage, the former prosecutor and now mayor of Natchez, attempting to save his father -- the beloved doctor, Tom Penn -- who is accused of murdering a former African-American nurse he worked with in the early 1960's. In doing so, Penn uncovers historical secrets that could reveal racial crimes that were thought to be long buried. In reading this tale, I became very engrossed in Penn's precarious situation and in his attempt to accomplish his goal without sacrificing those he loves most.
I'm a huge Greg Iles fan, was devastated when he was almost killed in the car accident and for a while, looked like he might never write again. I followed his progress on his website and knew that this book, though long delayed, was actually going to happen. Then I was fortunate enough to get a review copy. I did not know it was a book of both epic proportions (800+ pages) as well as an epic story.
This is not what most Greg Iles fans know him for; it is not light fiction peppered with some southern history, rather it is a journey that the reader needs to be prepared to take. At times it is unpleasant because of its factual background and at times, rather depressing because we're reminded of a time in our history that many would rather deny or forget. However, Iles grabs the reader by the nape of the neck and forces us to confront the past as it really existed and not as some would like us to believe.
About one third of the way into the book I was reminded of the writing style of James A. Michener which can be a good or a bad thing depending upon your point of view. To me it meant this wasn't going to be a short and fun ride and then move onto the next bestseller. No, to the extent a story can, this was going to require a commitment to follow not only this book, but the intended complete trilogy, to the final conclusion.
The book isn't perfect. It is at times wordy, overly descriptive, slow to engage and frustrating. However, these minor imperfections are offset by a griping story, prose that is above and beyond anything Iles has ever done and the ability to draw the reader into a separate universe where only the hours spent reading this book are counted.
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