This 976 page climax to the Penn Cage series begins fifteen years after the last installment and much has changed in Penn’s life. The losses in his life have been too much to bear and he’s facing another great loss and carrying a personal secret of his own. But when his daughter’s life is endangered at a music festival and a shooting ignites a firestorm of hatred, greed, prejudice and death, Penn is reluctantly pulled into action to keep his town from spiraling into a civil war that threatens its democracy.
I want to classify this as historical fiction, but sadly it takes place is present time and is frighteningly descriptive of our current political climate. I know this book took years to write, and Iles ability to capture the present climate so accurately is uncanny. The villains in this novel are horrific and frightening, and the worst of it, they are also realistic. Not being from the south, I can’t speak on how accurately the openly racial hatred is portrayed, but Iles brings to the surface what can be believed is simmering below.
While Iles has always infused his personal life into his stories, this one is most personal. He recently shared his diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a cancer of which I am much too familiar as it is one that my dad also endured. Through Penn’s diagnosis, Iles is able to include his personal thoughts on mortality interwoven through the political plot of this novel.
As always, picking up this novel is immersing yourself into a family and political saga filled with emotional turmoil leaving you much to think about.

Mark Twain's authorial axiom, "write what you know," was written for Mississippi author Greg Iles. In the vein of life imitating art, there is no more clear connection than Iles's Penn Cage series of novels. The author has long noted that Penn is modeled after himself, Penn's father, a doctor, after his own and so on throughout the literary family. But after dropping a revelatory letter about his health to his readers earlier in the year, the author's connection between literature and life have, in "Southern Man" (William Morrow), become even more personal — even as the series becomes more entrenched in a fictional realm that takes readers on a journey that began in 1999 with "The Quiet Game."

The author tells us this himself: "You might be interested to know that as I wrote 'Southern Man,' the connection that always existed between Penn Cage and myself became even deeper, to the point that Penn took on my own secret struggle with mortality, along with the existential and political themes of this novel," Iles writes in that letter.

But there is more. Not only has Iles crafted an intricately written behemoth of a book — the novel comes in at 950-plus pages — he advances Twain's aphorism to include not only "write what you know"; but "write what you predict you will know." No easy feat for any author, for a novelist to devise a contemporary and prescient political thriller within those standards that carries water at the time of publication is a masterstroke from a master writer. This is Greg Iles and that work is "Southern Man."



About two weeks before the May 28 publication of Iles's seventh full-length Penn Cage novel, the author graciously agreed to an interview about his new work, his health and the state of our nation — among other things. And as you'll read, those things include not only more than one reference to other literary heavyweights, but the rock band Rock Bottom Remainders, a new addition to the Iles's family, the question of another Penn Cage novel and the current state of Iles's mental outlook — and for a hint on that, note that he has named his abbreviated book events for "Southern Man" the "NOT YET DEAD Tour!"

Because his health prevented a one-on-one interview, Iles responded in writing to my questions. The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Tom Mayer: “Southern Man” is your most expansive, encompassing and engrossing Penn Cage story to date, but more, it’s eerily prophetic in terms of today’s political climate. You’ve said the novel was years in the writing, but you nail the impending presidential election season as if you wrote the book a month ago. Did things actually play out pretty much as you expected post-2020, or were you surprised by anything? Or to ask in another way, how much furious additions/deletions to the writing were there on the homestretch?

Greg Iles: You definitely nailed the panic of the last six weeks before I let go of this manuscript. Making political predictions in such a short timeframe is a very dangerous game, with the potential to look very stupid if you go far wrong. Also, I had basically doubled the pressure on myself by doing something I’d never done before in my career, which was to throw away an entire first draft after two years of work and start again. I usually publish my first drafts, primarily because of my secret illness, which I believe we’re going to get into later. Let me say upfront that I’m a proud Southerner in many ways. But I am not a Trump supporter. So, between my health crisis and trying to thread a fictional narrative into the unprecedented political reality we’ve all been living through, this has been the toughest book I’ve ever had to complete.



TM: Not every author has had the compunction, integrity and courage to write about the contemporary issues that need to be written about. But you’ve never shied away from saying what needs to be said, whether in one of your stand-alones, or certainly not in the seven Penn Cage novels. James Lee Burke is a kindred spirit in this way, but I’m seeing others who already claim a seat on that national stage. Fellow Mississippian John Grisham has been building his case on the death penalty and imprisonment for years, and his upcoming book, “Framed,” will be a case in point. And Don Winslow, who has announced his retirement from writing to attend to his passion, political activism, certainly made his views clear in his Danny Ryan trilogy. Would you comment on all of this?

GI: I think you’ve made a good list of writers who’ve shown courage during a period where there is a lot of resistance to brutal honesty on the page. In my opinion, James Lee Burke did a wonderful job of cross-racial narration in his recent "Flags on the Bayou," and I was very gratified to see him win the Edgar for Best Novel for that work. I did the same thing in small portions of "Southern Man," but I also stopped myself from overstepping the boundary in important ways, I think. No matter how well we know our native South or the people in it, there are some things we simply cannot know without experiencing them ourselves. For this reason, I also took a pretty hard shot at William Styron, a Southern writer who was revered when I came through college, but who I think committed some of the worst literary sins of projection, etc. in his "The Confessions of Nat Turner." John Grisham gave me a great blurb the other day, and he was brave even in doing that, saying that in "Southern Man" I had taken “an unflinching look at the frightening rise of fascism and Trumpism.” John has always been a great advocate for many causes. I have always tried to be fearless, if not reckless, when dealing with the themes of my various novels. Not everybody appreciates that, but my favorite readers certainly do.

TM: Back to prophecy: The idea of a third-party candidate rising from the ashes of social media, aka Bobby White in “Southern Man,” is one that millions of Americans wish would happen today. I say the “idea” here because, without pushing out any spoilers, we can say that a player such as Bobby wouldn’t be, perhaps, our first choice. But was the idea of a supersized-H. Ross Perot one that you believed (believe) a viable alternative to our current choices?

GI: I’ll tell you, Tom, without giving too many spoilers, I look at Bobby White as a sort of Rorschach on the character of each reader. I have a pretty strong belief that if Robert E. Lee White were to appear on the ticket tomorrow, he might easily take this election by a double-digit percentage. As for political prediction, I think the award for that, unquestionably, goes to my bandmate [of the Rock Bottom Remainders] Stephen King for the creation of Greg Stillson in "The Dead Zone" decades ago.



TM: Along dissimilar lines ... Penn has always been a champion of the people. I mean, look what he did in going head-to-head with the likes of billionaire Charles Dufort — and by the way, you do a great job with this and other exposition in either reminding consistent readers or informing those new to the series of the extensive backstories the series has evolved — but does it take the likes of a Penn Cage with his street smarts, education, contacts and resources to stand up to a political bully? That is, what can the average Joe or Jane do to fight the good fight?

GI: One, realize what is truly at stake in this unique election year. Two, vote accordingly, regardless of one’s political affiliation. Given the impending loss of white demographic power in America, we were always going to be facing a sort of “last white hope” of somehow maintaining white power in the face of that change. But what has been revealed since 2016 has truly stunned me, which is that tens of millions of Americans are willing to give up democracy and betray the Constitution in order to maintain that power. I don’t think they fully grasp what the consequences of that could be if whichever authoritarian leader seizes power were not on their side. As for the hypothetical part of your question, it’s an inflexible principle of drama that one’s antagonist must be at least as strong as one’s protagonist, and I often prefer that the antagonist be the stronger of the two. Usually, they are, if only by their willingness to break any rule or law in order to win. So, does it take a sort of superhuman character to defeat a Bobby White? On the page it does. In the real world, thankfully, it only takes an election — if the participants agree to honor its outcome.

TM: Speaking of the good fight, Penn Cage's adult daughter in the series, Annie, is really coming into her own as a civil rights attorney. If “Southern Man” were a movie — which it is no doubt destined to be — she’d be a scene stealer every time. The relationship is built on tragedy, but there’s an enviable father-daughter dynamic at work here, especially as they join forces to fight an almost pure evil in this new novel. Only one other contemporary author I’m aware of — Michael Connelly in his continuing Bosch series — comes close. I’m wondering, what are the writing roots of the Penn and Annie relationship?

GI: Like so many aspects of the Cage family, as they’ve evolved in what’s become this long-running series, Annie has her roots in reality. My own daughter, who is 30 years old, is now practicing law in Jackson, Mississippi, and some of the cases she has already worked are pretty horrific. I worry a lot about the things she has seen and the dangers she could face doing that kind of work. But it certainly gives me a very clear and intimate lens through which to view crime in Mississippi. So much of the earlier Cage stuff I experienced through my father, the inspiration for Tom Cage. But he’s been dead 14 years now, so new sources of accurate insight are most welcome.

TM: On the topic of relationships … also enviable is the connection you have with your readers. Earlier this year, you wrote a letter about your illness. You’ve kept that quiet for a long time, but now you’ve not only addressed the elephant in the room, you’ve fed it a bag of peanuts and took it for a ride. Not every author is so forthcoming about his or her private life — a well-known author I once interviewed about a memoir he co-wrote with his brother reminded me he “only shows the reader what he wants them to see” — but you expand on this in spades in “Southern Man.” First, how difficult was the decision to give Penn (and his mother, Peggy) a similar, incurable blood cancer diagnosis? And, two, you’ve written that by the time “Southern Man” is published (May 28) you will have had a stem cell transplant. If you’re willing to share, I know that millions of us readers really care to know how you’re doing?

GI: Actually, Tom, I had to watch my mother die of multiple myeloma — the same cancer I have — while I was writing the initial draft of this book. Ironically, I was diagnosed more than 20 years (with the same disease) before she was, an almost unheard-of situation with what has always been classified as an incurable cancer. Thankfully, Mom passed on before we realized that my own myeloma had “switched on” and nearly killed me before we understood what was happening. These events were so enormous in the lives of our family that I doubt I could have kept them out of this epic novel, which might be the end of the Cage saga. Penn has always been partly based on me, and that, I think, placed an extra burden of honesty on me as a writer. It was that, along with the present political danger, that prompted me to do something that few series writers ever do, which is to age their protagonist realistically on the page and make him or her truly mortal. Only this allowed me to leap 15 years ahead of where the Natchez Burning Trilogy ended and force Penn to confront the same lethal challenge that I am in my own life.



TM: Thank you for sharing that honesty, Greg. One piece of great news recently was the announcement that you’re going to be giving a reading — not a signing — May 28 at Cathead Distillery in Jackson, Mississippi, and then at a couple of venues after that. I’ve no doubt that, given the timing of your health situation, that was no easy commitment to make. What does doing this first book launch event mean to you?

GI: It means a great deal, Tom, in many ways. Just over two years ago, I confronted a serious dilemma upon being “re-diagnosed.” The oncologists were ready to transplant me as soon as they could, but I was bent on finishing "Southern Man" before enduring that procedure and the risks that come with it. I estimated that I could finish the book in six to eight weeks, but in the end it took more than two years. And all that time I was taking chemotherapy to keep my cancer under control. That has undoubtedly made it more difficult to get me into a position where we’re ready for harvest and transplant. Was that worth it? There’s probably no way to know. The launch party at Cathead represents stepping out of the hermit-like isolation it always takes me to finish one of these big books. Seeing a lot of Mississippi readers and friends from the book industry will be a wonderful experience. I definitely intend to take a freezing shot of Cathead vodka. But I will not be doing my usual extensive tour, so this also marks the end of my battle to finish this book and the new one against my cancer. I’d call that a big day.



TM: Let me finish with this, then. It seemed another "big day" was something you captured on video, with your brother, of your unboxing of the finished copy of “Southern Man.” You look like a kid on Christmas in your post at https:// www.facebook.com/GregIlesAuthor/. Last question, what does the publication of this novel mean to you and to your career?

GI: Well, this is my 18th novel, Tom. If you had asked me back when I was writing "Spandau Phoenix" in 1990 how many books I would write or get to publish, I’d never have said 18. So to reach this point, having been diagnosed with myeloma — considered a death sentence at the time — while writing my third novel, it’s pretty amazing. I think that explains the excitement people saw in me and my brother the other night. One thing my illness has taught us is just how many people are caught up in the same kind of battle that we are; many of them with fewer allies or resources than we have. But I think none of us has any greater resource than the will to survive. We’re doing all we can over at the Iles house to maintain some sense of normalcy, despite extraordinary circumstances. The best thing, believe it or not, is that my wife and I have a brand new daughter who is not quite 3 months old, and she is sleeping right here beside me while I answer your questions. In the same way that you asked what we can do to battle great danger or evil, I think we must do all we can in the face of severe illness and possible death. We cling to life, and put all our energy in that direction. As Steve wrote in the novella that became "The Shawshank Redemption": “Get busy livin’, or get busy dyin’.”

Full disclosure- I abandoned this book at 29% in. I just couldn’t get into it, as much as I wanted to. I thought the plot had great potential, so I kept with it. But I got to the point where I thought it needed massive editing, and I just felt like I couldn’t stick it out. I usually enjoy the Penn Cage books.

A few years ago, I came across the Penn Cage series. I was immediately invested in the series. This series will pull you in from the start.

This is book number 7 in the series and it was interesting to see the parallels of what's going on weigh the world today. Pen is investigating burnings of antebellum homes, which are homes that are constructed before the Civil War. This was an intense book but long book. The fact that it's such a long book didn't prevent me from reading it in 2 days. I couldn't put it down.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

𝟑.𝟓 ⭐️ 𝐈’𝐦 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐠 𝐈𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒛 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐬𝐨 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝑴𝒂𝒏 (𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒛 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲). 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐥𝐞𝐬’ 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 (𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝟏,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝟒𝟔 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞). 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝑴𝒂𝒏 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 (𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫-𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞) 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
- 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧’𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫.
- 𝐈𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 “𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬” 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞.
- 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐄𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝.
- 𝐇𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧—𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱, 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜.
- 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞.

𝐔𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 “𝐥𝐨𝐰” 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬:
- 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭, 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
- 𝐒𝐨𝐨𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔-𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐰𝐡𝐨’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐀 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝.

𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝-𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐈 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐀𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐧, 𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐢𝐬 “𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲” (𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲) 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬.

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.

𝐻𝓊𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒢𝓇𝑒𝑔 𝐼𝓁𝑒𝓈, 𝒲𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝒶𝓂 𝑀𝑜𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓌, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

An incredibly intense thriller, that is almost prescient in nature. A novel that terrifyingly encompasses the political reality of the U.S., as wanna-be fascists plot and deceive in the most pathetic of ways.

If you're somehow shocked at the political leanings of this book, then you clearly and unsurprisingly haven't been paying attention or view the world through MAGA-tinted glasses.

I loved it, I loved the political parts of it, I loved the action parts. Recommend the Penn Cage series to anyone and everyone.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC. This was a thrilling conclusion to the Penn Cage saga. It was long in spots and some sections felt like a slog (966 pages!). I think I probably struggled with this one a little more than the original series because it was so rooted in contemporary politics. This was obviously the point and I think Iles handled it fairly well but it is not just my preferred genre of reading these days. I loved learning the history that was in the Civil Rights Era murders. Penn Cage is quite the hero and I have enjoyed the journey with him,

Bobby White, a 3rd-party candidate in the 2024 Presidential election, believes that the end justifies any means.

Local deputies open fire on an open air concert, the Mission Hill massacre - White plans to exploit this. 'White panic' is the key he plans to turn.

Penn Cage fights back. The story ends, after another mass shooting and with the country close to a second Civil War, in an explosive confrontation, where Penn sees little hope of saving his loved ones.

Southern Man is a marathon read but the pages fly by. Greg Iles delivers another Penn Cage novel that encapsulates some of the most interesting characters and plots in fiction. This series is incredibly involved but yet so so interesting. A lovely southern thriller.

Some may question if author Greg Iles has the power of foresight. Some may say he lets his personal opinions override the narrative. Either way, the continuing story of Penn Cage, a crime-solving attorney, rings too close for comfort in “Southern Man,” a political thriller about corruption, race, power and greed in the South. Within its 950+ pages is a dilemma that eerily reflects the current U.S. political situation.
Trigger warning: The novel is written from a specific political leaning. Not everyone will agree with its stance.
Fast forward 15 years since the tragedies in the “Natchez Burning” trilogy. “Southern Man” is seventh in the series. Cage is haunted by the loss of his parents – a father to prison violence and mother to disease. His allies are aging or dead and his body is failing him (as is the author’s.) All Cage has left, or so it seems, is his grown daughter Annie, an attorney who specializes in civil rights law.
Within its first chapters, the novel sets its political affiliation. “Even the dumbest Republican advisers have figured out the skinny on the next election. There’s only one way they win. White Panic.”
The similarities to today’s political scene can’t be ignored. “… businessmen voted for a repeat bankrupt … evangelicals for a serial adulterer, women for an admitted sexual assaulter, patriots for a draft dodger … educated men for an ignoramus. But they did so with fierce gladness in their hearts. Because what their chosen one had done was open Pandora’s box -- yes, the old one, filled with … race hatred and infinite greed … all their anger was justified.”
Tensions in Natchez and Bienville, Mississippi, are running high, especially at an outdoor concert featuring a popular Black rapper. Shots are fired. People are killed and injured, including Cage’s friend and daughter. Coming to Annie’s rescue is Bobby White, a rising social media influencer who is soon expected to announce his run for the U.S. presidency.
White is known for killing an Afghani terrorist and promoting a third-party agenda. He’s a man who will do most anything to be president and wealthy people are willing to back him if he toes the line as they set it.
The concert shooting is only the first in a string of alleged racially motivated events, including the burning of several antebellum mansions and increasingly large demonstrations. A sheriff’s deputy murders Cage’s best friend in broad daylight. Racial warface divides city and county governments. Outside agitators with high-powered weapons stand at the ready to take over.
The novel is long – as are most of Iles’ novels. It takes a lot of words to pack so much action and emotion into one story. At times, the plot moves slowly. Other times, it races through tense, impactful developments. And when the last page is read, you won’t soon forget “Southern Man” and its complexities.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Book seven in the Penn Cage series a LONG one. At times it is hard to keep track of everything that is going on even though it is fast paced. Politics is a heavy theme and for that reason it had to be set down for a bit. Not a favorite of the series for me.

Quite the hefty volume but was a great update in the series…is this the series wrap up? Definitely a must read. And 4.8-5 stars!

Southern Man by Greg Iles, the seventh book in the Penn Cage series, is a gripping, intense novel that intertwines contemporary issues with historical depth. Set fifteen years after the Natchez Burning trilogy, it follows Penn Cage as he navigates racial tensions ignited by a mass shooting at a Mississippi rap festival, which nearly claims his daughter Annie’s life. The novel masterfully blends explosive action, political intrigue, and emotional complexity, reflecting America's current social and political climate. Despite its ambitious scope leading to some underdeveloped themes and a strong infusion of the author’s political views, the novel remains a compelling, thought-provoking read that captures the essence of today's America while delving into its troubled past.

SOUTHERN MAN is a brilliantly written and timely book that will pull you into a web of duplicity, murder, and politics. Iles gifted his readers with one amazing book.

Here is the thing, this book has layers. And when I say this, I mean multiple issues are being addressed within these 966 pages. There is racism, identity, greed, power struggles, political agendas, and moral ambiguity. Each of these elements is carefully woven into the fabric of a deeply intriguing and compelling suspenseful thriller. In truth, there is just action and tension as you will depth into the fabric history of the setting in which this story is taking place.

But I would be remiss not to mention the characters. Even though the underlying context of the book is important, the characters propel the narrative forward. Penn and Bobby lead the pack, but there are so many fascinating and complex people brought into the mix. And the relationships between all those involved are crazy in the best way possible.

I was thoroughly addicted to this book from beginning to end. SOUTHERN MAN is the book I didn’t know I wanted to read, but I am so glad I did. This is the perfect mix of politics, double-dealing, and the path created through the consequences of actions taken. What a book!

Series Note: Having enjoyed a few of the author’s previous books, I was hesitant to jump into the seventh book in the Penn Cage series without reading the other three that came before it. However, I shouldn’t have worried. I was able to completely become engrossed in the story and identify with the characters as they were in this timeline. Of course, I would have loved a little more background here and there, but it wasn’t needed. And yes...for those of you who are curious…I do have the other books on my to-read list now.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. Southern Man is a modern-day story of race, class, family, and politics. The story has a very democrat. If you can get past the one-sided view of the world the story is compelling.

It took me a while to come to grips with this extraordinary book. Even though I finished it a month ago, I needed to sit with it to really be able to fairly review it.

TL:DR, It is extraordinary and may be Iles best book. It's also overlong and a plot line about slaves in the Civil War definitely reads like something that researched, written and the effort was too much to pull it out even though it didn't advance the story in meaningful ways.

The book begins with reintroducing Penn Cage, who has slowly morphed into Greg Iles. One leg is gone from an accident, he is dying from the same cancer that has nearly killed his mother. His father is dead, killed in prison. Annie is all grown up and working as a lawyer with Doris Avery (because Quentin is also dead)

(Very) Long story short, a mass shooting perpetrated by police exacerbates long simmering racial tensions in Natchez and Bienville. It also sends two men to the national stage, one a white conservative talk show host and former special forces operator looking to run for president as a third party candidate, the other a young black veteran who becomes a national civil rights figure. Racial tensions continue to climb as major antebellum mansions are burned by a mysterious group known as the Bastard Sons of the Confederacy. A group claiming to be run by black people taking revenge after the mass shooting.

Many olympic sized pools of ink have been spilled about the politics of the book, almost all of it wrong.

To be clear, Iles is a Democrat and firmly against Trump and white supremacists. This has been the case for several books and Iles has made no secret of his politics over the year. But this book is not a simple case of "White Conservatives bad, everyone else good" No, it's more like "everyone is bad, some maliciously so, some through ignorance."

There are the evil white supremacists. There are the people that aren't overt racists, but hold racist beliefs. There are the people that manipulate the racists. But Penn and other white characters are well meaning, but often show their ignorance. Penn is a rich, highly educated, respected white dude. He has his struggles of course, and he has put his life on the line many times to fight racists, but black characters explain to him multiple times that no matter what kind of ally he is, he still can't truly understand. The black characters are also multifaceted, there is a strong conversation about the use of violence. The book never really states its beliefs, it just lays them out and makes a reasonable case for both.

The end gets a little silly as the body count climbs in a hurry. And like Iles has done in his past several books, no one is safe, there is no plot armor to be had here.

It's an extraordinary book, even with its big messy flaws. Iles is truly the writer of a generation.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to review it.

Despite loving Penn Cage, I ultimately didn't finish this book. It was just too long and I didn't find myself wanting to pick it up and continue reading (and I have NEVER felt that way with any of Iles's other books). Maybe I'll continue reading in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Deeply disappointed with all the hate and left sided agenda. I was looking for an entertaining book featuring Penn. This is not entertaining. I t was disturbing. Long and drawn out vitriol.

Absolutely the most interesting book I have read this year. Hands down. Thank you so much

I would definitely say 5 stars

This new book in the Greg Isles Series of Penn Cage came out on May 28. This is a big honker of a book it is 976 pages long. It took me a while to get through this one honestly.
Greg Iles, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Natchez Burning trilogy and Cemetery Road, has once again delivered a captivating and timely novel with Southern Man, his highly anticipated seventh Penn Cage novel, taking readers on a riveting journey through a tumultuous landscape of anarchy, tragedy, and the unwavering fight for love.
The story picks up fifteen years after the events of the Natchez Burning trilogy, thrusting Penn Cage into a lonely existence, burdened by a mortal secret that isolates him from the world. However, Penn’s solitude is shattered when a violent and deadly shooting at a Mississippi rap festival nearly claims the life of his daughter, Annie. In the aftermath of the killings, the ensuing chaos, fueled by racial tensions, fills the streets as Natchez and Bienville grapple with hard truths and even more uncertainty. All signs point to a perilous race war, setting the stage for a gripping and raw story that explores the dark undercurrents of society.
This is a genuinely terrifying book because of its plausibility—Iles perfectly captures the tinderbox that America is in the post-Trump era. . . .This is a perfectly done political thriller with genuine resonance. I highly recommend this book.