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A Penn Cage Novel, Natchez Burning Trilogy #2
by Greg Iles
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles comes the second novel in his Natchez Burning trilogy—which also includes Natchez Burning and the upcoming Mississippi Blood—an epic trilogy of blood and race, family and justice, featuring Southern lawyer Penn Cage.
Former prosecutor Penn Cage and his fiancée, reporter and publisher Caitlin Masters, have barely escaped with their lives after being attacked by wealthy businessman Brody Royal and his Double Eagles, a KKK sect with ties to some of Mississippi's most powerful men. But the real danger has only begun as FBI Special Agent John Kaiser warns Penn that Brody wasn't the true leader of the Double Eagles. The puppeteer who actually controls the terrorist group is a man far more fearsome: the chief of the state police's Criminal Investigations Bureau, Forrest Knox.
The only way Penn can save his father, Dr. Tom Cage—who is fleeing a murder charge as well as corrupt cops bent on killing him—is either to make a devil's bargain with Knox or destroy him. While Penn desperately pursues both options, Caitlin uncovers the real story behind a series of unsolved civil rights murders that may hold the key to the Double Eagles' downfall. The trail leads her deep into the past, into the black backwaters of the Mississippi River, to a secret killing ground used by slave owners and the Klan for over two hundred years ... a place of terrifying evil known only as "the bone tree."
The Bone Tree is an explosive, action-packed thriller full of twisting intrigue and deadly secrets, a tale that explores the conflicts and casualties that result when the darkest truths of American history come to light. It puts us inside the skin of a noble man who has always fought for justice—now finally pushed beyond his limits.
Just how far will Penn Cage, the hero we thought we knew, go to protect those he loves?
This listing refers to the trade paperback edition. Hardcover, e-book and mass market paperback versions published previously.
You can see the full discussion in our legacy forum here. This discussion will contain spoilers!
Some of the recent comments posted about The Bone Tree:
Agent Kaiser says, "I believe the Bureau has a moral duty to the people of this parish – the black people, mainly, to close the cases we failed to solve back in the 1960s." Do you agree? What impediments stand in his way?
I agree that Agent Kaiser is right in believing that there is a moral duty to investigate the crimes that were covered up in the 1960s. There can be not reconciliation in a community where these old wounds fester. Until the victims of the past are ... - nanl
Are the residents of Natchez, Mississippi, still living in the past?
As the past determines the path of our future, don't we all live in and with our past? The characters in Natchez lived in an area of pivotal violence, secrets and social change with the world watching. Each character in the book embodies a value of ... - barb23703
Discuss the individual journeys and moral choices of Penn and Tom Cage
Each man's moral choices is dictated by the era in which they live. That there can be such vivid contrasts between the expectations placed upon law enforcement in two separate eras is pretty jarring. This is especially clear as Penn learns more about... - donnac
How do FBI Special Agent John Kaiser's goals differ from Penn's and Tom's?
I agree with all of the above. Keiser definitely was more interested in solving a case of national significance rather than blame or absolve one individual. - juliep
How do Iles's novels compare with Robert Penn Warren's All The King's Men?
Very reminiscent and not a bad thing. - dianaps
"Starred Review. Absolutely compelling… A beautifully constructed story, some extremely fine writing, and some hard-to-bear tragedy.… Everything is big about this one." - Booklist
"Starred Review. Best-selling author Iles superbly blends past and present in his swift and riveting story line." - Library Journal
"Richly plotted…[and] the action-packed narrative moves swiftly to a surprising and moving conclusion." - Publishers Weekly
"The second installment of his hard-boiled Natchez trilogy finds Iles' hero Penn Cage on even swampier, and surely deadlier, ground than before." - Kirkus Reviews
"Better than Natchez Burning. If the third book surpasses the first two then Iles will be elevated to the highest heights of famed storytellers." - Huffington Post
"Establishes Iles as this generation's William Faulkner, usurping Pat Conroy as our preeminent Southern writer and potentially establishing him as this era's finest American novelist, thanks to this moving and meaningful masterpiece of storytelling." - Providence Journal
"Filled with menace, betrayal, [and] unexpected plot twists... Running through this vast enterprise is the implicit belief that crime fiction is capable of addressing - and illuminating - any aspect of human behavior, including the tragic history of race relations in 20th-century America." - Washington Post
This information about The Bone Tree was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Ben Hillyer
Greg Iles has spent most of his life in Natchez, Mississippi. His first novel, Spandau Phoenix, was the first of many New York Times bestsellers. His Natchez Burning trilogy continued the story of Penn Cage, the protagonist of The Quiet Game, Turning Angel, and #1 New York Times bestseller The Devil's Punchbowl. Iles's novels have been made into films and published in more than thirty-five countries. He is a member of the lit-rock group The Rock Bottom Remainders, lives in Natchez with his wife, and his three children.
Name Pronunciation
Greg Iles: EYE-less
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