Thursday, May 7, 2015

The Bone Tree - Greg Iles

I devoured Natchez Burning (my review), the first book in Greg Iles's planned trilogy and have been eagerly awaiting the second entry - The Bone Tree.

The Bone Tree picks up right where Natchez Burning left off. Iles does a great job of quickly recapping, so that new readers could jump into the book. (But seriously, you need to read the first book)

Lawyer Penn Cage is the mayor of Natchez, Mississippi. Between himself, his newspaper editor fiancee, his father Tom and others, they have uncovered and exposed the dirty underbelly of Natchez and surrounding Louisiana. Secrets, killings and corruption, racial hatred, greed, crime and political malfeasance of the worst kind imaginable. The perpetrators are so well placed and have been in power for so long that it seems nothing can take them down. And then comes the revelation that this shadowy group may have been responsible for the deaths of American leaders. (Gentle readers be warned - there are graphic scenes and descriptions)

Iles's plotting is simply spectacular - intricately imagined and complexly drawn with a hefty dose of (frightening) fact mixed in. I did check out many many references online to see if they were real - they were. In fact it's almost impossible to try and explain the book - there are so many threads and characters. Each and every character Iles brings to the page is fully developed and the reader can't help but become engaged (or disgusted) with every player. I've been a fan of Penn Cage from the first book, but Tom and his old ranger buddy Walt were the underdogs I was cheering for this time.  The 'bad guys' are well - just plain ugly.

I described Natchez Burning as powerful, gripping, thrilling, sweeping and simply spectacular - and I'll use those same words to describe The Bone Tree. 800+ plus pages of absolutely epic reading. Read an excerpt of The Bone Tree. A reading guide is also available.

This reader will be waiting and watching for the third and concluding book. There's no date or title as of yet, but Iles says "The release date of the final book in the trilogy is not set in stone at this time. I have a feeling that the TV series currently in the works might make me let go of that final book faster than I might otherwise have done, which I hope is good news for readers"

"Greg Iles spent most of his youth in Natchez, Mississippi, and studied the American novel under acclaimed southern writer Willie Morris at the University of Mississippi. His first novel, Spandau Phoenix, was the first of thirteen New York Times bestsellers, and his new trilogy continues the story of Penn Cage, protagonist of The Quiet Game, Turning Angel, and #1 New York Times bestseller The Devil's Punchbowl. Iles's novels have been made into films and published in more than thirty-five countries. He is a member of the lit-rock group "The Rock Bottom Remainders" and lives in Natchez with his two teenaged children."   Find out more about Greg at his website, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on Facebook. See what others on the TLC book tour thought - full schedule can be found here.

7 comments:

Kay said...

I loved Natchez Burning and I do have a copy of The Bone Tree. I'm saving it for the summer. Maybe my vacation.

At my book group last night, I think that the current book we discussed suffered a bit because Natchez Burning was the previous month's book. Several have now read The Bone Tree and talked about it a bit. So far, it was loved and gobbled up as fast as it could be.

bermudaonion said...

I've got to get started with this trilogy!

Luanne said...

Kay I thought it was just as good! Yes, it would be hard to follow Natchez Burning. I think it's perfect for sitting down on the porch for summer reading - and not having to get up to go to work.

Kathy - it's well worth it. I think you would really like them!

Luanne said...

Kay I thought it was just as good! Yes, it would be hard to follow Natchez Burning. I think it's perfect for sitting down on the porch for summer reading - and not having to get up to go to work.

Kathy - it's well worth it. I think you would really like them!

Heather J @ TLC Book Tours said...

I've read so many great reviews about this book and the first in the series - I've got to read it myself!

Thanks for being a part of the tour.

trish said...

Interesting about the TV series! I hope it's as good as the books sound! I'm going to start on Natchez Burning soon!

Customer recommendations for Fishing Lodge Alaska Sitka AK said...

The Bone Tree is better than Natchez Burning. If you have read it, this book is a must. The saga, the conspiracy, the mystery, the twist and turns are all worth it. There are points where belief does need suspension which is one thing that surprised me about this book. Many things that just aren't realistic...but it's a novel for entertainment. Certainly this will make for vivid theater fare someday.