Passion and racial tension seethe through the pages of this multi-layered thriller set in the South. New York Times best-selling author Greg Iles creates a compelling tale of a young lawyer determined to find justice—no matter what the cost. Houston prosecutor Penn Cage returns to his childhood home in Natchez, Mississippi after his wife's death. Instead of finding peace, he discovers his father beaten down by a ruthless blackmailer and himself the target of a nameless killer. As Penn struggles to save his family, he uncovers shocking information about a decades-old murder steeped in racism. In a desperate attempt to right a terrible wrong, Penn must face off with formidable foes: the FBI, a powerful judge, and a town filled with people who play "the quiet game." Tom Stechschulte's dramatic performance captures all the intrigue, danger, and breathtaking action.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
March 3, 2016 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781449879327
- File size: 576851 KB
- Duration: 20:01:46
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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August 30, 1999
Although it takes place in Natchez, Miss., and is flavored with the violence and seamy undertones of a Southern Gothic, this fourth thriller by Iles (Spandau Phoenix) owes just as much to a familiar parallel universe where wealthy male lawyers double as tragic heroes, women are invariably smart and attractive, and trials are by definition "high profile." After his wife's death, Penn Cage, a former Houston prosecutor and a bestselling suspense novelist, retreats to his parents' home in Natchez with his grieving young daughter. The healing process is interrupted when Cage learns that someone is blackmailing his father, a saintly family doctor who once made a lethal mistake. In tracing the source of his father's moral dilemma, Cage stumbles upon a trail of lies surrounding the unsolved murder of a black man in 1968. He determines to reopen the case, even though his antebellum hometown is smoldering with racial tension. With the assistance of Caitlin Masters, the attractive, smart and ambitious publisher of the local newspaper, Cage gradually uncovers an intricate conspiracy that reaches up to the highest levels of the FBI. Forced to confront powerful Judge Leo Marston, who nearly destroyed his father in pursuing an unrelated, unfounded malpractice accusation decades before, Cage must also face Marston's daughter, Livy, his old high school sweetheart, who tries to persuade Cage to let sleeping dogs lie. It is difficult at times to sympathize with Cage, who proselytizes about truth, justice and obligation, yet destroys evidence to protect his father and fails to properly shield his loved ones as he single-mindedly pursues the case. Still, this ably crafted, richly atmospheric legal thriller is engrossing, and readers will forgive Iles's protagonist a few shortcomings. Agent, Aaron Priest. Major ad/promo; 15-city author tour; British rights to Hodder Headline; audio rights to Recorded Books. -
There is literally nothing "quiet" about either the plot or the reading of Iles's new thriller. It is a bold, explosive mystery about Penn Cage, a former assistant DA turned novelist, who returns to his Mississippi birthplace to uncover a thirty-year-old conspiracy to murder a black war veteran. Sometimes the plot is packed in suspense, and other times it is so hokey it is delicious. Hill is more than up to the job of portraying the predominantly Southern accents. His voices don't waver, whether his character is rescuing a victim from a burning house or addressing judge and jury. When Cage wins against all odds because of an unforeseen twist, the listener is tempted to stand up and cheer him and Hill. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine -
One's first impression is that veteran narrator Tom Stechschulte gets out of the way and lets Greg Iles's excellent legal thriller speak for itself, but that's not quite true. While Stechschulte avoids overdramatizing the characterizations and plot lines, he nevertheless provides a wonderful selection of voices and personalities nicely in line with the author's intent, as well as consistently makes intelligent choices in the pacing and mood of the scenes as they fly by. This tale of a decades-old Civil Rights murder in Mississippi, and how lawyer-turned-novelist Penn Cage is drawn into investigating it, easily out-Grishams Grisham in the page-turner department and, thanks to Stechschulte's fine work, may wear out one's Walkman, too! J.P.M. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine
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