A review by caseysummer
Natchez Burning by Greg Iles

3.5

 

Natchez Burning is the fourth book in the Penn Cage series, and I’m still turning over a lot of thoughts. At 791 pages, it was a beast of a book—honestly, too long for my taste—but the story itself was propulsive and gripping enough to keep me going. 

The novel dives deep into the legacy of racial violence from the 1960s and how that legacy continues to shape lives today. I thought Greg Iles handled those themes with care and nuance, particularly in showing how even characters we’ve come to know as “good” can be complicit in systems of injustice. It was uncomfortable, but in a necessary and realistic way. It challenged the idea that morality is black and white—especially in the South, especially over time. 

One of the most compelling aspects of this installment was its exploration of how we start to see our parents differently as we grow older. That theme really landed for me. The book did a great job of portraying that shift from idealizing our parents to seeing them as flawed human beings—people who, like us, are doing their best but sometimes fall short. That reckoning felt authentic and really grounded the more dramatic plotlines in something deeply human. 

I did find myself frustrated with Penn Cage and his girlfriend in this book. Their decisions felt selfish and, in some cases, actively obstructed justice. That’s a big shift from previous books, where they felt more like moral compasses. But I also recognize that those kinds of decisions—messy, gray-area choices—make characters feel more real. They're no longer just heroes; they're people. Still, it added to my overall frustration and fed into my lower rating. 

I’m giving Natchez Burning a 3.5 out of 5. The rating is mostly due to the length—it just dragged for me—and the frustration I felt toward the characters. But I’m still invested in this world and these people, even if they’re driving me a little crazy. The book ends without tying up all the plot threads, so I’ll definitely keep reading to see where it all goes.