Iles, author of ‘Natchez Burning,’ to speak at main library

Greg Iles will visit the main branch of Huntsville-Madison County Public Library on May 6. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Greg Iles will discuss his new novel, “Natchez Burning,” on May 6 at the main branch of Huntsville-Madison County Public Library, 915 Monroe St.

Iles, a New York Times No. 1 best-selling author, will appear at 6:30 p.m. at the main library in downtown Huntsville.

“‘Natchez Burning’ is the first installment in an epic trilogy that interweaves crimes, lies, and secrets past and present in a mesmerizing thriller featuring Southern lawyer and former prosecutor Penn Cage,” communications director Ann Marie Martin said.

Iles’ book is set for release on April 29.

“‘Natchez Burning’ is Iles’ first novel in five years. His readers have been eagerly anticipating its release, Martin said.

In the novel, Penn Cage’s world is shaken when his father Tom Cage, a family doctor and upstanding citizen, is accused of murder. Violet Turner, a beautiful nurse that his father knew many years ago, has been killed.

Tom declares doctor-patient privilege and doggedly refuses to defend himself. However, Penn is relentless in his quest to have his father’s name cleared.

To help his father, Penn must delve into the not-so-pleasant past. The dangerous Double Eagles are involved, along with a threatening Ku Klux Klan group that is led by one of Mississippi’s richest and powerful men.

Penn enlists help from a friend and local reporter, who has inroads to dark, unseemly secrets of Natchez. Pursuing leads that date back 40 years, Penn concludes that no individual can actually feel safe.

Iles was born in Stuttgart, Germany, where his father managed the U.S. Embassy Medical Clinic. He grew up in Natchez, Miss. and graduated from the University of Mississippi.

For more information, call 256-532-2361 or visit hmcpl.org.