Mississippi Blood: The Natchez Burning Trilogy (Penn Cage, 6)

5 Stars (I’d give it more if I could)!! Mississippi Blood. It is over. This is it. The end. How can that be? I am at a loss, yet I am amazed and stunned. Mississippi Blood and the entire Natchez Burning Trilogy is a masterpiece. “Mississippi Blood is Different. … There’s Strength in it too. Strength that’s been beat but not Broke. That’s Mississippi Blood.” Like I said, this is it for Penn Cage. There is nothing left. And in his life he has endured a lot. More than most. He has lost almost everything. His family is under attack by Snake Knox and Double Eagles and he is under armed guard. Every Second of Every Day. Penn fears for his daughter, Annie’s safety. And even the FBI can’t keep them safe. Penn’s father Dr. Tom Cage is on trial for murder and doesn’t even want his son’s assistance. Quinton Avery, the most reputable attorney in the State, is his father’s attorney and both are keeping Penn out of the loop. Dr. Cage is self-destructing. And no one knows why. Not even Quinton. And Penn’s half-brother, Lincoln Turner, is hell-bent on destroying the Cages. As the trial moves forward, more buried secrets come to light. Yet the past never stays in the past. Even though the Double Eagles want it to and will harm whoever they have to, in order to try and keep it there. Race relations still run rampant here and the violence exists all too often. Yet Penn is resilient. And his family means the world to him. Thus Penn does what any son would do. Find people who can help his father, regardless of the consequences. Luckily for him, he gets some help, in the form of Serenity Butler, a famous writer and former army officer, who steps in to help him battle the Double Eagles, as does his old friend Rusty. In Mississippi Blood, Penn learns some more hard truths about his family and his friends. Most of which he doesn’t like. Some of which surprises the heck out of him. And us too, if I’m being perfectly honest. Sometimes however, he finds that there is still goodness in people. And Strength too. Mississippi Blood. Penn Cage desperately wants to believe in his father. He wants to believe in truth and in justice. In family. But in this trilogy, those ideals are shaken to the core. This trilogy leaves nothing on the table. It takes every single emotion from you. I don’t know how Greg Iles does it. This trilogy is complex yet simple. The books are bold.. so many interwoven storylines that meld together so well. With characters you loved. And characters you loved to hate. I love Penn Cage.. he’s like a friend who I’ve known for over ten years and have had coffee with and Tom Cage is like my dad, who has broken my heart a thousand times over. These are character you live with. Greg Iles makes you feel what they feel. When they suffer you suffer. I cried so many times reading these books.. Sometimes sobbing, and sometimes just releasing small tears. Sometimes smiling with wonderment at these characters who I know. With every cell. Every nerve ending. I admit that these books aren’t for the faint of heart. There is violence, there is defilement, there are assassinations and murder. But there is also the love, laughter and loyalty. And “Strength that’s been beat but not Broke.” In short, this trilogy has it all. They are suspenseful. They are masterful. There is never a dull moment, nor is there ever a moment when my attention drifted or the storyline dulled. The Natchez Burning Trilogy (Natchez Burning, The Bone Tree and Mississippi Blood) is brilliant. Like I said, It is Greg Iles at his most incredible, his most talented. It doesn’t get better than this. He is one of the best authors I have ever encountered in my lifetime and this trilogy/series is the best I have ever read. It is a masterpiece. *This Trilogy can be read without having read any of the other Penn Cage novels and if you haven’t read any books by Greg Iles, I IMPLORE you to do so. Start with Natchez Burning. Yes the trilogy is long. Yes it will take time. But it is worth your investment. Trust me. My favorite characters in the Trilogy (in no particular order) include but are not limited to Penn Cage; Caitlin Masters; Sleepy Johnson; Henry Sexton; Albert Norris; Serenity Butler; Quinton Avery; Annie Cage; and Tom Cage. You guys rocked. Each and every one of you for different reasons. Thank you Greg Iles for giving the readers this most incredible gift. I loved each and every second of it. Thank you also for persevering. Published on Goodreads and Amazon on 4/7/17.

I've been an avid reader for over 60 years now, collecting thousands of (primarily) hard cover books written by authors who have impressed me with their story-telling skills, their intelligent plots and sub-plots, their cast of (usually unique) supporting characters, their ability to paint vivid pictures to help immerse me in their stories, their artful presentation of surprising (and sometimes shocking) twists and turns that cause me to reassess and reorganize my thoughts, and the clever use of words and phrases that can cause me to laugh out loud or shed an occasional tear. And it should be easy to see from my first long sentence that my use of "run on" sentences will always prevent me from being a writer. There are actually very few authors whom I have read (and collected) each and every one of their books. Greg Iles is one of them, along with Dennis Lehane, Stephen King, and James Lee Burke. I have enjoyed the works of several other authors over the years and then stopped reading/collecting them because they kept repeating the same formula (which became stale), their characters remained stagnant and failed to grow, or the impact they were once able to shock and surprise you with had disappeared from their writing. It was obvious in a few cases that "ghost writers" had stepped in and continued with their story lines when they were no longer able to write, which simply affirmed the use of formula writing. Greg Iles doesn't stand still. He continues to provide intelligent and well-researched stories that are grounded in the history of the Deep South. He doesn't paint a pretty picture with southern ladies and gentlemen, antebellum mansions, garden parties, and good-old-boy politicians. Instead Mr.Iles talks about the problems of the Deep South; the history of slavery, the Ku Klux Klan, the inequality of races, miscegenation, and various hold-outs of people who keep a grip on the old ways even today. His writing is gritty and realistic, impressive and depressing at the same time, and allows his readers to really understand what has happened over the past 150 years. He presents these historic events with passion and insight, excusing few for their actions and holding many accountable for perpetuating barbaric practices. After having passed through many generations, it is surprising that so many people continue to discriminate against those who were granted freedom from their owners so long ago. Mr. Iles writing periodically points out the places where water fountains had signs on them stating "Whites Only", back doors to stores had empty spaces on them where signs once read "Colored Entrance", and inhumane prisons often held minor offenders for the rest of their lives. It is not a pretty picture but instead points out the realities of racism that others would just as soon forget. It is ugly, it is brutal, and it is amazing that so few managed to take advantage of so many for such a long time. This particular book is not for the faint of heart. No punches are pulled, no words are minced, no stone goes unturned. Be prepared, be warned, and expect to learn some historical truths without any sugar-coating. , This is easily a stand-alone novel not requiring the reading of the previous two books in the trilogy. HOWEVER, you will miss two powerful novels that set the stage for the end of this book -- and I wouldn't want you to miss any of its impact.

I debated whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. I liked the previous two books ( 4 1/2 stars) and couldn't wait to read this one, the last of the 3. I've also enjoyed reading most of Iles' other books. Like the two in the trilogy before it I was ready to give this one 4 to 4 1/2 stars also while reading the book. However, the ending was too abrupt especially considering that this was the end of a trilogy. I'll just say that after having had invested all the time I did in reading this trilogy that I thought the ending was something like: oh, we are out of time, let's cut it off, we don't need to explain this or that or what happened to so and so. Or if we stop here maybe we could even sell one more book relating to the other 3 even though we have told the reader this is the 3rd of 3 books in the series. Don't get me wrong. I really enjoyed all 3 of the books, including this one. Mr. Iles has given the reader a good sense of how things are and have been in a place like Natchez during the last 60 years. Another 50 pages or more details in the epilogue would have made the ending much more interesting to me. I would warn the prospective buyer of this book to not try to read this book as a stand alone. You really need to read the other two books, in order, first.

Can’t wait to read this third part of the trilogy. The first two books were such an engaging read. Greg Iles is one of my favorite authors.

I did not like the ending as it left too many unanswered questions. However the trilogy was a great read. Book 2 (The Bone Tree) was the best.

Spannend und atmosphärisch

As with most Greg Iles books this was wonderful. It was a fitting end to the Nanchez Is Burning series. His writing is tight but his plots are open and inventive enough to reward the reader consistently.

Greg Iles has surpassed himself by creating an epic story. This is one of the best books I have ever read.

The finale of the series was gripping. I could not put it down. Greg Iles certainly wrote a sensational story here and to bring back some of the history was inspiring. The Natchez series would make a great TV series as well, so here's hoping it is in the works!. Once again , a book well written.

The rollercoaster trilogy of Natchez Burning and The Bone Tree reaches its conclusion in this brilliant finale, Mississippi Blood. I read all three books, some 2000+ pages, back-to-back in just over a week, barely taking time to do anything other that immerse myself body and soul into this mesmerizing tale of racism and corruption in America's Deep South dating back to the 1960s but finding resolution 40 years later through the determination of a few good men and women. Greg Iles writing makes it all feel so real - but, then, the story is partially based on fact! I cannot praise these books enough - not only are they a ripping great story, they really make you think hard about the still active issues of racism of all kinds in the world today, whether based on colour, race or creed. For me, this series is what great books are all about - great writing and reading, but also hugely thought-provoking about the world we live in. They should be a must-read for everyone.