Greg Iles comes to BookPeople to speak and sign Mississippi Blood, the concluding volume to his epic Natchez Trilogy, tomorrow, Tuesday, April 18th at 7 PM. Our reviewer Meike Alana has followed the series since its inception, and below you’ll find her take on Iles’ latest.
- Review by MysteryPeople Contributor Meike Alana
It’s finally here—the riveting conclusion to Greg Iles’ Natchez trilogy featuring Penn Cage! (For a quick refresher on the series, please see the overview prepared by BookPeople’s fantastic blogger Molly Odintz, aka “Mystery Molly”).
In Natchez Burning, revered town physician Dr. Tom Cage is arrested and accused of murdering his former nurse Viola Turner. Her son believes it was a racially motivated killing, but circumstances indicate it may have been an assisted suicide. A young reporter uncovers some new leads which suggest links between Viola and the Double Eagles, widely feared and regarded as the most hateful racist group in the state. Iles unfolds details of the story slowly throughout the first novel and its follow-up, The Bone Tree.
In Mississippi Blood, Dr. Cage’s trial has begun. His son Penn continues to search for clues that could clear his father’s name, yet Tom somehow seems determined to end up in prison—even going as far as to remove his son from his counsel team. As testimony reveals increasingly disturbing details about the past and the relationship between Tom and Viola, long-held secrets become known that threaten the safety of the Cage family as well as the Double Eagles—and the latter won’t hesitate to continue killing to keep the past hidden.
As the trial unfolds, each character relates his or her version of events. The stories are the same, but the interpretations vary based on each individual’s unique background and experience. What is the truth, after all, but our own perception of reality? Rarely has a courtroom drama been as complex and riveting as Iles’ examination of Tom’s actions and culpability in the suffering and death of his former nurse. As the novel reveals what really happened the night Viola Turner died, the reader is challenged to view issues of guilt and conscience in new and unsettling ways.
Come by the store Tuesday, April 18th, at 7 PM, to hear Greg Iles speak and sign the stunning conclusion to his Natchez trilogy. You can find copies of Mississippi Blood on our shelves and via bookpeople.com.
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