The Bone Tree
A Novel
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4.4 • 1K Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Don’t miss the latest Natchez Burning novel, SOUTHERN MAN
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?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The Bone Tree is like A Game of Thrones, but set in the Deep South. Part two of a trilogy that bestselling author Greg Iles launched with Natchez Burning, the novel weaves together the story of small-town Mississippi mayor Penn Cage, his on-the-run father Tom, and the powerful, murderous Double Eagles, a terrifying faction of the KKK. We were struck by Iles’ gift for writing an epic that never feels protracted or mundane—and rewards us with impressive character building. Iles immerses us in a carefully constructed and spookily plausible conspiracy fantasy involving Civil Rights–era killings, a New Orleans crime syndicate, and a plot to assassinate John F. Kennedy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Iles's richly plotted fifth Penn Cage novel, the middle book of a trilogy, picks up immediately after the previous entry, 2014's Natchez Burning. Penn's physician father, Tom, is a fugitive suspected of murder. Meanwhile, an unsolved civil rights case from the 1960s may have been finally cracked, and the Double Eagles, a KKK splinter group, have been linked to the traumatic assassinations of the 1960s. Penn, a former prosecutor who's now the mayor of Natchez, Miss., and his pregnant fianc e, reporter Caitlin Masters, have barely escaped with their lives from the lair of a flamethrower-wielding sadist. The action-packed narrative moves swiftly to a surprising and moving conclusion as Penn contends with Forrest Knox, the power behind the Double Eagles, and strives to keep his loved ones safe. Some readers may feel that the link between the villains and the J.F.K. assassination is just too much, and that the tale of Penn's efforts bringing justice to those who committed horrendous crimes against African-Americans would have been enough. Ten-city author tour.
Customer Reviews
The Bone Tree
I think the first half of the book is slow.
T
I think it could be edited down without lost of story. Also there are to o many charters. Could not follow some times and had to repeat. I read about 15 online books a year and love to read.
Good but long
This is the sequel to Natchez Burning, and picks up where that left off. It follows the same characters for several more days, and based on the ending, more is to come.
It’s good, exciting, but a bit overwritten. Over these 2 books, about 1600 pages in the print form, you certainly get to know the characters, and get a sense of place and time. It could have been shortened with no loss in story or atmosphere. Nevertheless, then the next Greg Iles comes out I will buy it on the first day.
The Bone Tree
This is one of the best novels I have ever read. Iles’ uses a magnificent historical mystery on which to form a realistic and suspenseful fiction with characters of credibility, strengths and weaknesses that keep you wanting to read more, yet fearing what might happen. Truth and fiction collide with clarity of the never ending racism that still grips our nation.