Natchez Burning

A Novel

By: Greg Iles

Narrated by: David Ledoux

Length: 35 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Raised in the historic southern splendor of Natchez, Mississippi, Penn Cage learned all he knows of honor and duty from his father, Dr. Tom Cage. But now the beloved family doctor has been accused of murdering Viola Turner, the African-American nurse with whom he worked in the dark days of the 1960s. Penn is determined to save his father, but Tom, stubbornly invoking doctor-patient privilege, refuses to even speak in his own defense.

Penn's quest for the truth sends him deep into his father's past, where a sexually charged secret lies waiting to tear their family apart. This long-buried sin is only a single thread in a conspiracy of greed and murder involving the vicious Double Eagles, an offshoot of the KKK. Penn is forced to confront the most wrenching dilemma of his life: Does a man of honor choose his father or the truth?

Drenched in southern atmosphere, Natchez Burning marks the brilliant return of a genuine American master of suspense. Tense, disturbing, and filled with electrifying plot twists, this novel commences the most explosive and ambitious story Greg Iles has ever written.

©2014 Greg Iles (P)2014 HarperCollinsPublishers

Loved it/Hated it

Where does Natchez Burning rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Love the author, story line for the most part, complexity.... But seriously, this book is way to long, Penn Cage has the worst luck of anyone in Mississippi, and the idea that the Chief of Louisiana State Police would be clueless to the corruption was a bit naive.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Penn, of course. We are all looking for that ilusive American hero; courage, valor, integrity.

Which character – as performed by David Ledoux – was your favorite?

Penn!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not possible; would take more than one day (have to sleep sometime.

Any additional comments?

Iles may have bit off more than he could chew in one setting. While I enjoy complicated plots, this was just a little too much to do well.

WORST NARRATOR EVER !!!!!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes nevertheless.

What other book might you compare Natchez Burning to and why?

N/A

How could the performance have been better?

Another narrator... I have countless Audible books but he is the worst ever!!!Very difficult to decipher the characters, is voice is just so darn awful. A lot of concentration is required due to the quantity of characters..and story threads.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

YEP !!

Narration is shady, Story great; coming to TV soon

Would you consider the audio edition of Natchez Burning to be better than the print version?

No, the print version is much better, however...

What did you like best about this story?

The story itself could have been narrowed down a lot. I love Greg Iles. A master story teller. And in this book he brings out the masterful storytelling he is known for. You cannot go wrong here. It redundant in some places? Yeah - in a way that make you want to bang your head against a wall. But even then, you want to hang on until the end.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator is awful. Go ahead. Scroll down and see other unsatisfied Audible users tell you how awful this guy is. But I'm going to tell you how to get through it.

I started listening to Iles from the first book. When I started listening to "Natchez Burning" I read an article that said Amazon was going to make it a TV series. Great. But after I downloaded the book, I heard a very droll and self-important narrator giving me some awful narration.

Now listen. I'm sure the dude is awesome in real life. I'm sure he's great to hang out with. But he reminds you of the self-important cousin at your family reunion that won't shut up about his job as an IT specialist that no one cares about. However let me say this as a solution.

Here's how I got through it all - speed up the narration to the 1.25 level. Then, it becomes very bearable. I promise. It's worth it. The narrator actually does a decent job with the dialects in the book about a quarter way through. And if you can listen to it on an increased tempo, you will be able to make it through this book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, the text copy is 800 pages. Forget it. If you try to listen through it your kids will have all grown up and you will have lost your job and you will have aged 30 years. Take it in 2 hour chunks a day.

Any additional comments?

This book is awesome. The best thing about Greg Iles writing in this book is that it makes you ask a lot of questions about yourself. "What would I do to protect my family?" "Would I in the face of horrible pain and terrible history love my family or cast light on events that would shock the world?" Great moral tension in this book. That's why Amazon has promised to make a TV show out of it. I hope it pans out. But then again, TV and movies don't usually measure out to the book, so whatever.

I'm urging anyone who listens to this book again. Don't give up on it. Play it at 1.25 speed to get past the somewhat annoying narration to enjoy this great novel. You won't regret it.

Not my favorite

The narration was just terrible. It was hard to get past the narration. It was definitely not my favorite Greg Iles book.

Phenomenal Book

An overall exquisite book, but the narrator sorely failed to do it justice. Absolutely worth it.

love this series!

This is an amazing novel. Very well written and very well read. Love it

Would listen to it again.

Keeps you intrested in the story and characters. Would listen to it again. Narration was good.

Good Read

I liked the story.. Narrator was excellent.. Story would have gotten 5 stars .. But I felt it dragged in aces a bit.

Couldn't stop listening!

I LOVE the Penn Cage series! I literally listened at every opportunity. Including during bathroom time! ❤

Hard to listen to.

Narrator was horrible. Changed paces to the point I couldn’t understand the dialogue. I love the stories and had read them as books before. That was the only thing that let me finish.