Natchez Burning: A Novel (Penn Cage, 4)

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?

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Published Apr 29, 2014

816 pages

Average rating: 8.5

8 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

wardbunch
Mar 26, 2025
10/10 stars
Took a while to finish, but that was not the fault of the writing. The only complaint I have is the portrayal of the women. The first half of the book leaves them out almost entirely and then the second half makes an attempt to fix that by adding a few minor ladies and a formulaic heroine. Can't wait to read #2 to see if this treatment is any better.
margardenlady
Dec 27, 2023
8/10 stars
This first in a trilogy about civil rights atrocities from the 60s come to modern day was long - 800 pp - but it kept my interest. The crimes and atrocities were horrifying. Their perpetrators seemed inhuman, and at the end if this installment there are still many questions left unanswered. Who killed Viola? Can Forrest be stopped? Will Snake kill Sonny?
I may have to read the next one.

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