Book Review Natchez Burning by Greg Iles the 1960's, the American deep south, racial tension and the quest for justice

Set between the racially segregated Mississppi of the1960's and the current time Natchez Burning is a powerful novel- in fact, in my opinion it is one of the best crime fiction explorations of the racial hatred of that part of America's history. 




 It is similar in tone to Sycamore Road by John Grisham and fully captures the brooding tension and hatred of the era, with the KKK at large and black people victimised , often by the powers that should have protected.

Greg Iles breathes fire and passion with a rare authenticity in his writing and I was gripped from beginning to end.
Penn Cage, who's Dad is a paragon of society and has the full respect of his family is accused retrospectively of the murder of a young black woman in the 1960's.  A investigates he is thrown into the fervour and heat of racial hatred and is forced to question everything he accepts as truth.

Natchez Burning is beautifully written, expertly researched full of passion and sympathetically delivered.
This is a definite must read and I cannot recommend it enough.

Available on Amazon Kindle for £3.66 and PB for £3.85 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Natchez-Burning-Penn-Cage-Book-ebook/dp/B006I1CH8S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423575233&sr=1-1&keywords=natchez+burning+greg+iles