Southern Man

By: Greg Iles

Narrated by: Scott Brick

The hugely anticipated new Penn Cage novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Natchez Burning trilogy and Cemetery Road, about a man—and a town—rocked by anarchy and tragedy, but unbowed in the fight to save those they love.

‘A first-rate political thriller…. an unflinching look at the frightening rise of fascism and Trumpism.’ John Grisham

‘Greg Iles is one of America’s great storytellers. His books are page-turners with real literary resonance. Southern Man is the latest and the best’ Stephen King

A senseless tragedy

When a brawl at a rap festival triggers a bloody mass shooting in Mississippi, Penn Cage finds himself in a country on the brink of eruption. As the stunned cities of Natchez and Bienville reel, antebellum plantation homes are being torched and the deadly attacks are claimed by a Black radical group as historic acts of justice. Panic quickly sweeps through the communities, driving the prosperous Southern towns inexorably toward a race war.

A rising star

But what might have been only a regional sideshow of the 2024 Presidential election explodes into national prominence, thanks to the stunning ascent of Robert E. Lee White on social media, a Southern war hero funded by an eccentric Mississippi billionaire, who seizes the public imagination as a third-party candidate.

A country ready to implode

As his hometown devolves into chaos, Penn Cage tears into Bobby White’s pursuit of the Presidency and ultimately risks a second Civil War to try to expose its motivation to the world, before the America of our Constitution slides into the abyss.

©2024 Greg Iles (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

'A blistering masterpiece that is both relevant and impactful.' Real Book Spy

‘Readers undaunted by the Proustian length of Iles’ sprawling epic will find crime writing of a rare order… As much a trenchant state-of-the-nation novel as a mesmeric page-turner' Financial Times

Remarkable.

Loved the ending. I am not American so I found the historical detail fascinating and informative.