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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an incredibly dense book that took forever to finish. I really enjoyed the writing but I could not stick with the story. The end felt abrupt and too violent and nothing was really resolved.
If the author had just tied up the loose ends in this book and split it into three parts, he could have made the trilogy from this single book. It was way too long and didn't hold my interest enough to make me want to read the next installments. Though the main characters may have been more fleshed out in previous books (which I haven't read, so I don't know), they seemed pretty flat in this one. I slogged through this book for a book club and there wasn't much payoff because it's only book one, but I'll pass on the next book.
I listened to this one. I didn't love it...but I also didn't hate it. It was just kind of okay. By the time I realized I was so indifferent to it, however, I was already 16 cd's into its 30. The worst part is, it's the first in a trilogy...because for some reason EVERYONE ONLY WRITES TRILOGIES NOW. So, yea, now I have to listen to more to know the end of the story. *shakes fist*
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In the south of the 60s, many civil rights cases went ignored by local authorities and the FBI. Iles brings light to this with a story of Penn Cage, mayor of Natchez, Mississippi and Henry Sexton, journalist and the only person that seems interested in solving these crimes. The story takes place in current day with a few flash backs to the 60s. Penn is a product of the 60s, his father a reputed doctor who helped both the African American community and the Klan, out of fear. While Sexton is on the verge of a breakthrough in hunting down a group of Klan members that called themselves the Double Eagles, Penn finds out that his dad is going to be charged for the murder of the nurse that served his office during the 60s. Penn suspects this is because the local DA and sheriff can't stand him. But soon he and Henry find that what they are working on may be connected.
This book is 800 pages and just the first of a trilogy. However it's also the 4th Penn Cage book. It was my first introduction to Penn and though there were some mentions of cases and relationships from the past, it was easy to understand what was going on. The quality and scope of these books remind me of Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth/World Without End. It just takes place over a much shorter time frame.
For such a long book, the story seemed to only take place over a matter of a few days. Despite this, the events of the day didn't seem crammed at all. I really got sucked in to this novel and was immersed in the story, though it did take me a while to read!
There were some great climactic moments in this book and I was surprised at the outcome, which I feel doesn't happen that much to me these days. There are a lot of questions I have for the remaining two books. I hope they are answered; specifically the targets that were put on Martin Luther King and JFK. How exactly did these play out?
I really enjoyed book one. I'll start reading book two soon.
This book is 800 pages and just the first of a trilogy. However it's also the 4th Penn Cage book. It was my first introduction to Penn and though there were some mentions of cases and relationships from the past, it was easy to understand what was going on. The quality and scope of these books remind me of Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth/World Without End. It just takes place over a much shorter time frame.
For such a long book, the story seemed to only take place over a matter of a few days. Despite this, the events of the day didn't seem crammed at all. I really got sucked in to this novel and was immersed in the story, though it did take me a while to read!
There were some great climactic moments in this book and I was surprised at the outcome, which I feel doesn't happen that much to me these days. There are a lot of questions I have for the remaining two books. I hope they are answered; specifically the targets that were put on Martin Luther King and JFK. How exactly did these play out?
I really enjoyed book one. I'll start reading book two soon.
The first novel I read by Greg Iles didn't do much for me, but now I have read two of the Penn Cage novels and I really like them. I'm looking forward to reading the rest. The writing is top-notch and the story is great. I had a little trouble later in the story with some events that didn't feel quite real enough--one was a real deus ex machina--but I understand how impossible it can be to make a story work out right without some unbelievable happenings at times. The story is good enough for me to look past the tiny flaws.
DNF. I tried. I tried really hard. If this book was only 500 pages long, I might have been able to push myself just a little bit further to finish it. But 800 pages of important info being presented through extensive dialogue, every new character receiving pages of backstory, and the same events being rehashed in every single conversation was exhausting. I couldn't have cared less for Penn Cage, who - despite being the narrator for many chapters - never really showed who he was. And I grew to hate his father simply because everyone in town worshipped him and refused to believe he was anything less than perfect. What makes my failure to finish this book even worse is that I already bought the next one in the series.
very good book and a real page turner. However I was a little disappointed with some loose ends left at the end of the book.
I would have given this book five stars if it was about 200 pages shorter. The book was excellent- but I did get to point much like I have with Game of Thrones and Outlander books where I just want it to be over. That being said- this contains so much attention to detail and such a complex and interesting plot that you can't help but read just "one more chapter" even though it's WAY past your bedtime. It reminded me a lot of John Grisham's books except I was much more invested and interested in the plot.
I didn't realize before reading that Iles has written previous Penn Cage novels but I will definitely look them up having finished this one. At no point did I feel like I was missing key plot points by not having read the previous books but I'm interested enough in what was mentioned to seek them out. Natchez Burning ended with a conclusion to one issue, leaving many others unresolved. I'll definitely be continuing with this series!
I didn't realize before reading that Iles has written previous Penn Cage novels but I will definitely look them up having finished this one. At no point did I feel like I was missing key plot points by not having read the previous books but I'm interested enough in what was mentioned to seek them out. Natchez Burning ended with a conclusion to one issue, leaving many others unresolved. I'll definitely be continuing with this series!