The 7th Penn Cage installment is one that many Greg Illes Fans have been waiting for. However, this one is a huge investment. This final Cage novel is over 900 pages. You have been warned. True fans won’t want it to end.

There is shooting at a rap concert. Soon a racial war is in effect. Southern antebellum homes are on fire. Anarchy. Is this really just another black lives matter situation? Powerful people at play are politically motivated. Is this tied in?

While this story goes down a complex road, Cage is battling cancer. With death in tow, he will do anything to save his family. The thing that sets Illes apart from other authors is his intense characterization. Superb writing with an excellent finish.

Gripping, raw, violent. Racism and politics. Death and loss. Be prepared for a dark tale that is much closer to home than we think.

Thanks so much @William Morrow, @Greg Illes and @NetGalley for the opportunity. Publication date May 28, 2024
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book prior to its release. The story is a slow burn with a lot going on and and as someone who has not read previous books in the series I was admittedly lost for a bit. It was a bit more political than I usually read but overall it was very well written and engaging. I would recommend that people read the first books first but I did manage through without having done so - I now am heading back to book one that started it all.

Southern Man is the seventh book in the Penn Cage series from Greg Iles. All can be read as standalones.

"Fifteen years after fighting the Double Eagles Penn Cage is almost alone. A brawl at a Bienville music festival turns deadly when deputies fire into the crowd. Many people are injured and several die. Before the town can catch it's breath, someone begins torching well-known Antebellum mansions. A close friend of Cage's is shot dead by a deputy and mass protests erupt. The eyes of the nation are on Bienville and Cage is desperate to protect his daughter and remaining friends, hoping the city doesn't descend into chaos and carnage."

Iles puts a lot into this 976-page book. There is a commentary about what the Antebellum mansions represent and the lengths that Mississippi lawmakers will go to to maintain power. Iles is not afraid to kill a character. He killed Cage's wife a couple of books ago. No one is safe and you never know what is happening next.
There is a charismatic character running as a third-party candidate. He has secrets and there's a darkness that's not readily apparent to everyone.

A grand opus from Iles to make you think and ponder. Reads quickly for a thousand page book.

It’s a banger!! It grabs you from word one and keeps you entertained. It would have been a 5 star read for me but the closing scene dragged on way too long.

Southern Man by Greg Iles is the long-awaited next installment in the Penn Cage series. It is packed with history, action, dread, and atmosphere. Iles is easily one of the best writers out there.

Robert E. Lee White (Bobby) is a right wing radio personality who rose to fame on TikTok. He’s planning a third party run for President and won’t let anything get in his way.

Penn is dealing with a lot; it’s been many years since the events in the Natchez Burnjng trilogy. His dad Tom was murdered in a prison riot. His mom Peggy is currently dying from cancer. He is dealing with the same cancer and also lost part of his leg in an accident years ago. Annie is an adult - she is a civil rights lawyer working with Doris Avery.

There are racial tensions boiling under the surface in Mississippi, and the political climate and current events mirror real life: black lives ended by police shootings, mass shootings, MAGA republican hatred, etc. Penn is trying to diffuse the situation in his town, but things keep escalating. Bobby white is everywhere- is he a friend? Or is he pulling the strings?

This book is a slow burn. It is amazingly written, but it’s a lot: a lot of history, a lot of trauma, a lot of violence, and a lot of dread.

Thanks to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Greg Iles just keeps getting better - and I hope he DOES get better so he can keep feeding us Penn Cage Novels!!

Just an amazing book, and THANK you for allowing me to have it!

Any Iles book is better than 99.9% of all the other books out there. Mr. Iles set the bar so high with the Natchez Burning trilogy and Cemetery Road that he had to have a book that was not quite up to their level sooner or later. Is Southern Man up to the level of his very best? I think the answer is not quite. Do not get me wrong, this is a great book. However, it is a hard read. It deals with race relations and quite frankly I think some of the viewpoints in the book will piss off some readers. The people who are easy to make mad if their viewpoint is not represented as fact. As they read and have to face the viewpoint of POC they will dismiss the narrative as fantasy. But just because you don't like something doesn't make it true - and that is where this title shines. I think it is a little slow getting started (but so was the Natchez trilogy). For those readers willing to make it to the end of 900+ pages this is going to be an eye-opening book. Like all books written by Mr. Iles, this is one of the best!

Southern Man Pen Gage Book 7 by Greg Iles

976 Pages
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: May 28, 2024

Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Racism, Racial Violence, Conspiracy Theories

Radio show host, Robert E. Lee “Bobby: White is a conservative considering running for president. In 2008, he was honored for killing a high-ranking terrorist in Afghanistan. He lost his right arm in the process. His Tik Tok videos are the cause to his rise in popularity.

It has been 18 years since the Natchez Burning trilogy with Dr. Tom Gage’s trial and the violence after Hurricane Katrina. Penn’s mother is 83 years old and dying from cancer. His daughter, Annie, is 28 and working in the legal field with Doris Avery, the wife of Quentin Avery, the famous defense attorney.

Dr. Tom Gage died in a prison riot 11 years ago. He saved the life of Martine, a French documentary film maker. Annie and Martine are attending a peaceful concert when the sheriff’s open fire. Many are killed and wounded. Kendrick Washington, a war veteran was performing his version of Neil Young’s song Southern Man. After he is wounded, he becomes the face of the movement. This makes him a target to Bobby White. Historic homes are being burned. No one knows who is behind the arson. Both sides of the protestors are blaming each other.

Penn is also dealing with health issues. He has moved to Bienville, an incorporated city near Natchez. He tries to get to the bottom of the issues but is not as young as he used to be and faces challenges along the way.

The story has a slow but detailed pace. The characters are developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. There is also first-hand accounts of Romulus, a Black man during the Civil War. The theme of this book is timely with the current political and civil unrest with the Black Lives Matter movement and police investigations.

It’s hard not to compare this book to other of Iles’s work and other Penn Cage novels. Current events since 2020 have obviously shaped and impacted Iles, “Southern Man” tackles many of these issues (political extremism, police brutality, even Covid-19) head on. Iles is incredibly intelligent and nuanced when he writes about these subjects and masterfully crafts a storyline that physically, emotionally, and ethically challenges our characters, specifically Penn. Lots of trigger warnings for this title: racism, slavery, police brutality, violence, terminal illness, murder, gun violence,

This seventh Cage Penn book is the icing on the cake following Iles' amazing Nachez Burning trilogy (Nachez Burning, The Bone Tree, and Mississippi Blood), which also features Penn Cage. Set fifteen years after Mississippi Blood, in 2023, on the eve of the presidential election, it is a microscopic look at the state of US politics, race relations, and the nature of the unrest we are currently experiencing.

When a rap concert turns bloody at the hands of the Sheriff's Department in Bienville, Mississippi, two figures emerge as leaders: one, a Black tourist guide, and the other, a White third-party presidential candidate who has the best chance of winning since Ross Perot. One hopes to quell the retaliatory mood of the crowd, and the other hopes to raise his political aspirations to a national stage. At odds, the stage is set for a confrontation with far-reaching consequences.

This looks like it will be the final Penn Cage book, as it is revealed early on that Cage's cancer is no longer in remission. That's sad news for fans of the series, myself included, but Iles does a good job of handling the characters and dealing with the life-threatening situation. This fast-moving story weaves together today's political climate and Civil War-era slavery issues. It is sometimes uncomfortable to read, but it is a story that needs telling. This political and historical thriller shines a light on corruption, race relations, and family relationships, both past and present. It is an excellently written book that can be read as a standalone--although the other books in the series are so good, I recommend reading them all.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is May 28, 2024.

The last time I was in the Penn Cage world was in 2018.. I wasn't sure how much I would remember. We are introduced to many characters at the start and soon realized how easy it is to get sucked into the writing of Greg Iles. This book is very long, probably one of the longest I have ever read. You need to buckle in as this book was a RIDE!! I really didn't want the book to end.
This book is a mix of politics, history, good, evil, corruption, racism, The story is told from each character's point of view. We get into their heads and how they think. It was an eye opener into a place I would never go and realizing the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I would like the thank the Killer Crime Club on Facebook and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this advance copy.

The Southern Man is a well written taut thriller that will have you gasping for breath, holding your breath as Penn Cage returns in book 7.

Penn is not well but that does not stop him from becoming a centre player in the rampant racism
mass shooting on Mission Hill.

Police are firing at police and innocent citizens are being slaughtered.

Antebellum mansions are burning and a war is raging.

Its a journey that the reader must take themselves.

My review will never do this compelling read justice and I just dont have the words to describe the emotions the story brings out.

The book is long but trust me once you start reading you will be so lost in Southern Man that you will hate it to end.

Greg Isles has done a remarkable job of portraying the civil unrest , the history of slavery and Penn's family.

I felt like I was there with them all.

Highly recommend you pick up your copy of Southern Man and prepare yourself for an amazing, emotional read.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for a read that I wont forget and will talk about for a long time to come.

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC. Wowza...960 pages later. It has been a good 7 years since the last Penn Cage novel so I was excited to get started on this one. I must say it did take me to about halfway through before I felt like I was seeing more of the old Penn Cage novels. This book seemed to be very politically charged which I wasn't expecting. I did enjoy it in the end. It is a very telling story. Wish it would have grabbed me more in the beginning.

I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to recieve and read the ARC of Southern Man by one of my most favorite authors.

This is the 7th book in the Penn Cage series. It's long. Its very long. But every detail, plot twist, and shocking discovery leads you down the history of the south. This book covers politics, race, and small town government. For this reason I would classify it as a cross between historical fiction and political thriller.

I enjoyed this book very much. So many parts shook me to the core but the ending almost had me in tears.

Greg Ilses, thank you. Thank you for yet an another amazing book!

"Southern Man" by Greg Iles is a tour de force of political and social commentary as the sins of the past meet the machinations of the present in the small Mississippi town of Bienville. Protagonist Penn Cage must juggle the trauma of his mother's final days with the knowledge that his own inherited medical condition has finally kicked in. Then his daughter is shot at a concert, his old flame returns to his life, and his mother's research into their family reveals shocking connections to the worst person in town. A series of violent acts escalate the tensions between the white and Black citizens of the town, while Bobby White, a would-be third-party candidate for president, adds his own diabolical brand of chaos.

The novel is a dense read, the cast of characters on an epic scale that makes it difficult to keep them all straight. There are multiple storylines as well: genealogical surprises. medical problems, political intrigue, sabotage, racial tension, gender issues, murder, each one compelling. Yet taken together, they overwhelm the reader. Compliments to Iles for attempting such a broad treatment of so many issues we face today, but it can often be a slog to sort through all the plots and keep them straight.

Do readers need to be warned about the political positions espoused by various characters? Maybe. The author tells it like it is from both sides, using the rhetoric of the right and the left to great effect, but those sensitive to one or the other may find it upsetting. Set in contemporary America, "Southern Man" attacks the problems of our country head-on. As the stakes mount, the reader is compelled to soldier on, hoping for a positive outcome as the body count rises.

Wow. OmGosh, what an INTENSE book! I had to put it down nearly every single chapter and just breathe. 4.5 stars. A lot of what happens in this novel is already happening in the world, including the US. The history is very realistic and thus upsetting to read but also critical to the novel; hard to read but important to never forget. God help us if someone like "Bobby" actually runs for US president & wins. I couldn't do anything until I read all of this very long and very involved novel. If you choose to read it, please do not skip over the events in the 1860's; they are essential but uncomfortable parts of the plot.

I was very excited to re-enter the world of Penn Cage and this book did not disappoint. Great to revisit with the characters from previous novels and learn what had transpired in their lives since the last novel, Mississippi Blood. Great plot over two timelines that kept me engaged and overall the novel seemed current and relevant to the present. I would wholly recommend.

Southern Man was a long, hard and painful read. It was a long read that I didn’t want to end, however, I didn’t enjoy every minute. It was a hard read because it was brutally honest about race relations in the United States and the world, past and present. It was painful because the truth hurts.

The way all the different storylines, past and present, and characters, past and present, develop in the Natchez and Bienville settings is exquisite.

Greg Iles is a storyteller extraordinaire. His research is staggering.

Southern Man is a story, but it hits really close to current reality.

Fifteen years after the events of the Natchez Burning trilogy, Penn Cage is alone. Nearly all his loved ones are dead, his old allies gone. But Penn’s self-imposed exile comes to an abrupt end when a brawl at a Bienville music festival triggers a shooting—one that nearly takes the life of his daughter Annie.

Before the stunned populace can process the tragedy, an arsonist begins torching antebellum plantation homes in Bienville. When an unknown Black group claims the fires as acts of justice, panic ensues, driving the Mississippi River town to the brink of war.

When Penn’s closest friend in Bienville is shot to death on the street by a county deputy, mass protests ignite, and the community descends into open hostilities. State and county politicos use the mayhem as an excuse to dissolve the city government and seize control, and enraged activists begin converging on the town from far-away states to see their own brand of justice done.

In Southern Man, Greg Iles returns to the riveting style and historic depth that made the Natchez Burning trilogy a searing masterpiece and hurls the narrative fifteen years forward into our current moment—where America teeters on the fence between anarchy and salvation. This would be a better book if the characters weren't drawn so one-dimensionally; Blacks are good, Whites (with the exception of Penn and his family, of course) are evil. That said, this is a powerful novel, and sure to cement Greg iles' place in the pantheon of American literature. Highly recommended. #SouthernMan #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthorSeries