wasn’t going to do this but I started the third book in the Natchez Burning trilogy the same day I finished The Bone Tree, the second book. The narrative just flows from one to the next without a break although each book has its own trajectory and conclusion.  “Mississippi Blood is different. It’s got some river in it, delta soil, turpentine, asbestos, cotton poison. But there’s strength in it, too. Strength that’s been beat. but not broke,”  

Mississippi Blood
By Greg Iles
Read by Scott Brick, 28h 9m
Rating A+, suspense thriller with a bit of history
(Book 3 of the Natchez Burning trilogy)

“Mississippi blood is different. it’s got some river in it – Delta soil turpentine, aspetstos, cotton poison. But there’s strength in it too, strength that’s been beaten but not broke.”  (p. 83)

At the outset of this book Caitlin Masters, the newspspare reporter and Penn Cage’s fiancé is dead but Penn, the protagonist of the series,  his father, Tom Cage, a well-thought of doctor, is currently living at the prison outside of town while his mother, Peggy is in a nearby motel.  Penn’s 11-year old daughter is being carted for by Maya, but the whole family is in shock and grieving.  In other news, Viola Turner was murdered awhile back so Tome is in jail pending that trial.  As you read along the secrets of the family are revealed – Tom is in prison for murdering his lover.   Yah – it’s a twisty tale and  I haven’t even mentioned Lincoln or Viola or Walt or several other characters whose lives get entangled.

The theme is mainly race and old Civil War hostilities with the KKK being the original group with developed a branch or two in the 1940s and which were still thriving in the 1960s and even unto the 2000s.  These guys thought they were the worst of the bad-asses and had been quietly killing a lot of Black boys and dumping their bodies at a place called the Bone Tree.  

Iles has a new book in the series called “A Southern Man” which features the same characters in the same place only a couple decades later and although Iles is not one of my favorite writers I am looking forward to it but maybe not right away. It’ll be available on 5/28.