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Natchez Burning by Greg Iles 
on 4/29/2014
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles comes the first novel in his Natchez Burning trilogy—which also includes The Bone Tree and the upcoming Mississippi Blood—an epic trilogy that interweaves crimes, lies, and secrets past and present in a mesmerizing thriller featuring Southern lawyer and former prosecutor Penn Cage.
Raised in the southern splendor of Natchez, Mississippi, Penn Cage learned all he knows of duty from his father, Dr. Tom Cage. But now the beloved family doctor has been accused of murdering the African American nurse with whom he worked in the dark days of the 1960s. Once a crusading prosecutor, Penn is determined to save his father, but Tom, stubbornly invoking doctor-patient privilege, refuses even to speak in his own defense.
Penn's quest for the truth sends him deep into his father's past, where a sexually charged secret lies. More chilling, this long-buried sin is only one thread in a conspiracy of greed and murder involving the vicious Double Eagles, an offshoot of the KKK controlled by some of the most powerful men in the state. Aided by a dedicated reporter privy to Natchez's oldest secrets and by his fiancée, Caitlin Masters, Penn uncovers a trail of corruption and brutality that places his family squarely in the Double Eagles' crosshairs.
With every step costing blood and faith, Penn is forced to confront the most wrenching dilemma of his life: Does a man of honor choose his father or the truth?
Natchez Burning by Greg Iles is a tale of murder, lies, and deception. Set in the backdrop of Natchez, Mississippi. Penn Cage (the mayor) gets a call from the Natchez prosecutor letting him know that his father, Tom Cage (the beloved family doctor of the community) is accused of murdering one of his patients. The only problem is for whatever reason Tom refuses to confirm or deny these accusations to his son. Claiming doctor/patient confidentiality.
Penn is determined to clear his father’s name. In search of answers, Penn stumbles into a deep dark secret from the past. One that involves a forty-year-old murder and the KKK. A small group of the KKK formed a crew called the Double Eagles. Penn soon discovers that one of the most powerful and wealthiest men in the state just so happens to be behind it and will do nothing short of murder to keep the secrets of the past buried. But, there is one person that refuses to let the past stay, and that is a Natchez reporter. Penn soon discovers that with secrets of the past being unearthed, it may be the only way to save his father. He is also left to wonder if the image of his father will change after finding out things he did not want to know. Does Penn really know his father? In unearthing deep dark secrets of the past it soon becomes a matter of life or death, trying to protect those he loves and clear his father’s name. At the end will justice prevail?
First, let me start by saying that I did not realize that Natchez Burning was a whopping 800 pages. When I saw that Greg Iles had a book that was about to be released after being on hiatus for five years, I was eager to read it. Having read a few of his previous novels I was sure this would be yet another good read. As it was. Although you may be looking at the page count and thinking…hmm this is a thick book, trust me when I tell you that it is needed. Mr. Iles weaves together a story of the past and present, and with the past, he has to go into details of what transpired and how it impacts that of the present. My only real complaint with this novel was when the characters were ‘thinking’ or when a description of a person, place or thing was described it was not put into italics. There was not a narrator so for the character to randomly start describing who he was talking to or what he was thinking about was a little odd. The story was left somewhat open, but after reading the synopsis on Amazon, I soon discovered the reason for this was because this is the beginning of a trilogy.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series and anything else Mr. Iles drops. I would recommend this novel if you’re into a historical type, crime/mystery.
Reviewed: Leona
